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

Abstract

A cleaning device control method. A cleaning device comprises a device body and a mechanical arm provided on the device body. The method comprises: by means of a first sensing module on a mechanical arm, acquiring area information of an area where a cleaning device is about to travel; and on the basis of the area information, determining whether said area is a reachable area.

Description

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

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202510031302.3, filed on January 8, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0004] Cleaning equipment (such as robotic vacuums and mops) is widely used in modern homes. These devices effectively replace human labor in household chores, bringing great convenience. To prevent cleaning equipment from getting stuck in areas with obstacles such as cliffs or thresholds, which could cause safety issues, solutions typically incorporate sensor modules, such as cliff sensors, into the main body (chassis) of the equipment. These modules detect the height difference in the obstacle area, assess the risk of the cleaning equipment getting stuck, and thus help it choose an appropriate passage strategy.

[0005] However, in practical applications, it has been found that the above solutions still cannot guarantee the safety of cleaning equipment in complex environments. The sensing capabilities of the sensor module are affected by various factors, such as lighting conditions, surface reflectivity, and the installation angle of the sensor module. These factors may cause the cleaning equipment to fail to accurately identify height differences in obstacle areas in certain situations, leading to misjudgments when facing thresholds or cliffs, thereby increasing the risk of getting trapped or falling. Therefore, improving the safety of cleaning equipment during movement has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of this disclosure provide a cleaning equipment control method, apparatus, program product, medium, and cleaning equipment, which can at least improve the safety of the cleaning equipment during operation.

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

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling a cleaning device is provided. The cleaning device includes a device body and a robotic arm disposed on the device body. The method includes: acquiring area information of the area the cleaning device is about to travel through a first sensing module on the robotic arm; and determining, based on the area information, whether the area to be traveled is a reachable area.

[0009] In some embodiments of this disclosure, obtaining area information of the area the cleaning equipment is about to travel through through a first sensing module on the robotic arm includes: controlling the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled; and determining the target height difference of the area to be traveled based on the first sensing data; wherein the area information includes the target height difference.

[0010] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first sensing data includes image sensing data of the area to be traveled and / or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled.

[0011] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target height difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: constructing three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed based on the image sensing data; and identifying a first height difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data as the target height difference.

[0012] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target height difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: determining a second height difference of the area to be traversed based on the attitude sensing data, as the target height difference.

[0013] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target height difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: constructing three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed based on the image sensing data, and identifying a first height difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data; determining the first height difference as the target height difference when the first height difference does not fall within a preset height difference range; and determining a second height difference of the area to be traversed as the target height difference when the first height difference falls within the preset height difference range, based on the attitude sensing data.

[0014] In some embodiments of this disclosure, controlling the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traversed includes: determining the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed; and controlling the first sensing module to collect image sensing data of the area to be traversed under the robotic arm's acquisition pose.

[0015] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed includes: acquiring the structural feature information of the robotic arm and the installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and determining the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area, the structural feature information, and the installation position information.

[0016] In some embodiments of this disclosure, controlling the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled includes: controlling the robotic arm to contact the area to be traveled; and after the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled, controlling the first sensing module to collect the attitude sensing data of the robotic arm.

[0017] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining whether the area to be traveled is an accessible area based on the area information includes: determining the area to be traveled is an accessible area when the target height difference is less than a preset height difference; and determining the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area when the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference.

[0018] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: collecting second sensing data of the area to be traveled through a second sensing module on the main body of the device; obtaining the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning device through a first sensing module on the robotic arm includes: based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, obtaining the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning device through the first sensing module on the robotic arm.

[0019] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, then determining the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area based on the second sensing data.

[0020] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the method further includes: acquiring second sensing data of the area to be traversed through a second sensing module on the main body of the device; and, based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traversed, determining the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area based on the second sensing data.

[0021] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the obstacle type includes either a cliff obstacle or a threshold obstacle.

[0022] In some embodiments of this disclosure, after determining whether the area to be traveled is an accessible area, the method further includes: controlling the cleaning device to pass through the area to be traveled according to a travel strategy matching the determination result.

[0023] In some embodiments of this disclosure, controlling the cleaning device to pass through the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy matching the judgment result includes: controlling the cleaning device to pass through the area to be traversed when the area to be traversed is an accessible area; and controlling the cleaning device to bypass the area to be traversed when the area to be traversed is an inaccessible area.

[0024] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a cleaning equipment control device is provided. The cleaning equipment includes a main body and a robotic arm disposed on the main body. The device includes: an acquisition unit, configured to acquire area information of the area the cleaning equipment is about to travel through a first sensing module on the robotic arm; and a judgment unit, configured to determine whether the area to be traveled is a reachable area based on the area information.

[0025] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: control the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled; and determine the target height difference of the area to be traveled based on the first sensing data; wherein the area information includes the target height difference.

[0026] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first sensing data includes image sensing data of the area to be traveled and / or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled.

[0027] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traveled based on the image sensing data; and identify a first height difference of the area to be traveled from the three-dimensional data as the target height difference.

[0028] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: determine a second elevation difference of the area to be traveled based on the attitude sensing data, as the target elevation difference.

[0029] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed based on the image sensing data, and identify a first height difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data; when the first height difference does not fall into a preset height difference range, determine the first height difference as the target height difference; and when the first height difference falls into the preset height difference range, determine a second height difference of the area to be traversed based on the attitude sensing data, and use it as the target height difference.

[0030] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: determine the robotic arm acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed; and control the first sensing module to acquire image sensing data of the area to be traversed under the robotic arm acquisition pose.

[0031] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: acquire structural feature information of the robotic arm and installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and determine the acquisition pose of the robotic arm based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, the structural feature information and the installation position information.

[0032] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: control the robotic arm to contact the area to be traveled; and after the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled, control the first sensing module to collect the attitude sensing data of the robotic arm.

[0033] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition and judgment unit is configured to: determine that the area to be traveled is an accessible area when the target height difference is less than a preset height difference; and determine that the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area when the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference.

[0034] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: collect second sensing data of the area to be traveled through a second sensing module on the main body of the device; based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, then obtain the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning device through a first sensing module on the robotic arm.

[0035] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit is configured to: if it is determined that an obstacle area exists in the area to be traversed, determine the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area based on the second sensing data. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the obstacle type includes either cliff obstacles or threshold obstacles.

[0036] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes a control unit, configured to control the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traveled according to a travel strategy matching the determination result after determining whether the area to be traveled is an accessible area.

[0037] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the control unit is configured to: control the cleaning device to pass through the area to be traveled when the area to be traveled is an accessible area; and control the cleaning device to bypass the area to be traveled when the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area.

[0038] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes computer instructions. The computer instructions are stored in a computer-readable storage medium and are adapted to be read and executed by a processor to cause a computer device having the processor to perform operations as described in any of the embodiments of the first aspect above.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores at least one computer program instruction. The at least one computer program instruction is loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations described in any of the embodiments of the first aspect above.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a cleaning device is provided, including one or more processors and one or more memories. The one or more memories store at least one computer program instruction. The at least one computer program instruction is loaded and executed by the one or more processors to perform the operations performed by the method described in any of the embodiments of the first aspect above.

[0041] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0042] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0043] Figure 1 shows a scene of the cleaning equipment in motion according to some embodiments of this disclosure;

[0044] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a cleaning equipment control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 3 illustrates a scene of the cleaning equipment in motion according to some other embodiments of this disclosure;

[0046] Figure 4 shows a block diagram of a cleaning equipment control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present invention

[0048] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0049] 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 disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure 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 disclosure.

[0050] 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 solutions disclosed herein have been adaptively omitted.

[0051] 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.

[0052] In the description of this disclosure, 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 technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0053] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this disclosure, the application scenarios involved in this disclosure will first be briefly explained with reference to Figure 1.

[0054] Referring to Figure 1, a scene diagram of the cleaning equipment in the present disclosure during its movement is shown.

[0055] As shown in Figure 1, the cleaning equipment proposed in this disclosure can be a sweeper, a mop, or a combined sweeper and mop. This disclosure does not make any specific limitations on these aspects.

[0056] The cleaning equipment provided in this disclosure may be equipped with a robotic arm 102 on its main body (i.e., chassis 101, which may also be referred to as the cleaning equipment body or equipment body below). The robotic arm 102 can assist the cleaning equipment in performing more cleaning actions, thereby enhancing the cleaning ability of the cleaning equipment. Each joint of the robotic arm may be equipped with a drive device (not shown in the figure), such as a drive motor. Driven by the drive motor, the joint angles of each joint in the cleaning equipment will also change, thereby changing the posture of the entire robotic arm and enabling the robotic arm to perform specific actions.

[0057] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a second sensing module (e.g., a cliff sensor, a line structured light sensor, a single-point ranging sensor, a structured light sensor, etc., and an image sensor such as an RGB camera, a depth sensor, or a 3D imaging sensor) may be configured on the main body of the cleaning equipment (i.e., chassis 101). The second sensing module may include multiple sensors, such as sensor 103 and sensor 104. These sensors can detect obstacle areas and detect the height difference of the obstacle areas, for example. In some embodiments, sensor 104 may be a cliff sensor, which can be used to detect the height difference h1 of a cliff obstacle, and sensor 103 may be a point cloud image sensor, which can be used to detect the height difference h2 of a threshold obstacle.

[0058] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a first sensing module may also be configured on the robotic arm 102 of the cleaning device. For example, the first sensing module may be a sensor 105. These sensors can be used to identify the state and position of the cleaning brush on the cleaning device to ensure that the cleaning device maintains the optimal contact angle and pressure during the cleaning process, thereby improving the cleaning effect. In addition, these sensors can also be used to identify the position, shape, weight, and material of the object to be grasped, so as to intelligently determine whether the grasping method or cleaning strategy needs to be adjusted.

[0059] In practical applications of the relevant solutions, the cleaning equipment moves on the ground during its tasks. While moving, the equipment uses a second sensing module mounted on its main body to detect the presence of obstacles within its walking area, as well as the location and height difference of these obstacles. The cleaning equipment uses this information to adjust and plan its path to avoid getting stuck in the obstacle area and causing safety issues. In some embodiments, the obstacle type can be a cliff obstacle or a threshold obstacle. For example, in sub-figure (a) of Figure 1, the cleaning equipment moves in the direction of travel A and can detect an obstacle area B1 within its walking area using sensor 104. The obstacle type in obstacle area B1 is a cliff obstacle 106, and the height difference h1 of the cliff obstacle is also detected. As another example, in sub-figure (b) of Figure 1, the cleaning equipment moves in the direction of travel A and can detect an obstacle area B2 within its walking area using sensor 103. The obstacle type in obstacle area B2 is a threshold obstacle 107, and the height difference h2 of the threshold obstacle is also detected.

[0060] However, in practical applications, it has been found that the existing solutions still cannot guarantee the safety of cleaning equipment in complex environments. The inventors of this disclosure discovered that the reason for this problem is that the sensing capability of the second sensing module is affected by various factors, such as lighting conditions, surface reflectivity, and the installation angle of the second sensing module. These factors may cause the cleaning equipment to fail to accurately identify the height difference of the area it is about to traverse (i.e., the height difference of the obstacle area) in certain situations, leading to misjudgments when facing thresholds or cliffs, thereby increasing the risk of being trapped or falling. Against this backdrop, this disclosure provides a cleaning equipment control scheme to improve the safety of the cleaning equipment during movement.

[0061] Figure 2 shows a flowchart of a cleaning equipment control method according to an embodiment of this disclosure. This method can be executed by a device with computational processing capabilities (e.g., the cleaning equipment shown in Figure 1). Referring to Figure 2, the cleaning equipment control method includes at least:

[0062] Step 210: Obtain area information of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to move into through the first sensing module on the robotic arm;

[0063] Step 220: Based on the area information, determine whether the area to be traversed is a reachable area.

[0064] In this disclosure, regional information includes terrain information, material information, coordinate information, etc. Terrain information may include the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed.

[0065] In this disclosure, a first sensing module mounted on a robotic arm acquires area information of the area the cleaning equipment is about to travel through. This optimizes the sensing module's detection angle and position of the area, reducing interference from factors such as lighting conditions and surface reflectivity on the sensing data, thereby improving the cleaning equipment's accuracy in recognizing area information within the area to be traveled. Determining whether the area to be traveled is reachable based on this area information allows the cleaning equipment to select a travel strategy that matches the determination result, thus improving the safety of the cleaning equipment during its movement.

[0066] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the cleaning equipment control method may include the following steps:

[0067] Step 201: Collect second sensor data of the area to be traveled through the second sensor module on the main body of the device;

[0068] Step 202: Based on the second sensor data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning equipment is obtained through the first sensor module on the robotic arm.

[0069] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the cleaning equipment control method may further include the following steps:

[0070] Step 203: If it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area are determined based on the second sensor data.

[0071] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the obstacle type may include cliff obstacles or threshold obstacles. To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this disclosure, an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG1.

[0072] As shown in Figure 1, sensors 103 and 104 (i.e., the second sensing module) mounted on the chassis 101 (i.e., the main body of the cleaning equipment) can collect second sensing data in the area the cleaning equipment is about to travel through. Based on the second sensing data, it can determine whether there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled through. When the second sensing module determines that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled through, it determines the location information of the obstacle area (e.g., located in front of the left, front of the right, or directly in front of the cleaning equipment) and / or the type of obstacle (e.g., cliff obstacle or threshold obstacle) based on the second sensing data. For example, as shown in sub-figure (a) of Figure 1, it can be determined based on the second sensing data collected by sensor 104 (e.g., cliff sensor) mounted on the chassis 101 of the cleaning equipment that there is an obstacle area B1 in front of the area to be traveled through, and the obstacle type is a cliff obstacle. For example, as shown in sub-figure (b) of Figure 1, it can be determined that there is an obstacle area B2 in front of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel, and the obstacle type is a threshold obstacle, based on the second sensing data collected by the sensor 103 (e.g., a point cloud image sensor) installed on the chassis 101 of the cleaning equipment.

[0073] In some embodiments of this disclosure, if an obstacle is determined to exist in the area to be traversed, the first sensing module on the robotic arm acquires the area information of the area the cleaning equipment is about to traverse. Based on this area information, it is determined whether the area to be traversed is reachable. Thus, after determining the existence of an obstacle in the area to be traversed through the second sensing data collected by the second sensing module on the main body of the cleaning equipment, the first sensing module on the robotic arm is then activated to acquire the area information of the area to be traversed and determine whether the area is reachable. This helps reduce false triggering of the first sensing module and improves the accuracy of acquiring the area information in the area to be traversed. Simultaneously, activating the first sensing module only when a potential obstacle is detected avoids unnecessary resource consumption and improves the energy efficiency of the equipment. Furthermore, the dual-sensor module can provide a more reliable obstacle area judgment capability, reduce operational errors, and improve the adaptability of the cleaning equipment in changing environments.

[0074] In step 210 as shown in Figure 1, obtaining area information of the area where the cleaning equipment is about to proceed through the first sensing module on the robotic arm may include:

[0075] Step 211: Control the first sensing module to collect the first sensing data of the area to be traveled;

[0076] Step 212: Determine the target height difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensor data; wherein, the area information includes the target height difference.

[0077] In this disclosure, the first sensing data may include image sensing data of the area to be traveled, or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled, or both image sensing data and attitude sensing data.

[0078] Next, this disclosure will further describe, in conjunction with several embodiments, how to control the first sensing module to collect the first sensing data of the area to be traveled in step 211 above.

[0079] In some embodiments of this disclosure, controlling the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled may include:

[0080] Step 2111: Determine the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed;

[0081] Step 2112: Control the first sensing module to acquire image sensing data of the area to be traveled in the robotic arm's acquisition pose.

[0082] In practical applications, cleaning equipment moves across the ground to detect the room environment or perform cleaning tasks. When the cleaning equipment detects an obstacle area in its travel area, it can acquire the location of the obstacle area within its travel area and also determine the obstacle type, i.e., whether it is a cliff obstacle or a threshold obstacle. After acquiring the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area, the robotic arm can be controlled to adjust its pose to a data acquisition pose that matches the location information and / or obstacle type, so that the first sensing module mounted on the robotic arm can collect the first sensing data for the obstacle area.

[0083] In this disclosure, first sensing data (i.e., image data) can be acquired in real time by a first sensing module mounted on a robotic arm (e.g., an image sensor, such as an RGB camera, a depth sensor, or a 3D imaging sensor, and / or a ranging sensor, such as a cliff sensor, a line structured light sensor, a single-point ranging sensor, a structured light sensor, etc.). The first sensing module is able to observe the ground of the obstacle area from a higher perspective and a wider field of view (FOV), enabling the first sensing module to capture more detailed and comprehensive environmental information of the obstacle area.

[0084] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed may include:

[0085] Step 21111: Obtain the structural feature information of the robotic arm and the installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and

[0086] Step 21112: Determine the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, structural feature information, and installation location information.

[0087] In this disclosure, adjusting the robotic arm pose of the cleaning equipment to a data acquisition pose ensures that the first sensing module mounted on the robotic arm more accurately acquires sensing data associated with ground features in the obstacle area. First, structural feature information of the robotic arm can be obtained, such as its length (e.g., 10cm or 20cm), number of joints (e.g., two or three joints), and the mounting position of the first sensing module on the robotic arm (e.g., above or below the robotic arm). Then, based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, combined with the structural features of the robotic arm and the mounting position information of the first sensing module, the optimal data acquisition pose for the robotic arm can be calculated. This calculation process can consider the field of view of the first sensing module to ensure that the first sensing module can fully cover the obstacle area. Finally, the robotic arm can be controlled to adjust to the calculated data acquisition pose to ensure that the first sensing module is in the optimal position, acquiring high-quality sensing data, thereby accurately identifying and analyzing ground features in the obstacle area.

[0088] Based on the technical solution proposed in this disclosure, the acquisition pose of the robotic arm is determined according to the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area, the structural feature information of the robotic arm, and the installation position information of the first sensing module, thereby adjusting the robotic arm pose to the acquisition pose. In this way, not only can the accuracy of sensing acquisition be improved, but also the flexibility of the first sensing module in the robotic arm in acquiring environmental data of different obstacle areas is enhanced, enabling the cleaning equipment to more intelligently collect ground environmental data of complex obstacle areas.

[0089] In other embodiments of this disclosure, controlling the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled may include:

[0090] Step 2113: Control the robotic arm to contact the area to be traveled;

[0091] Step 2114: After the robotic arm contacts the area it is about to travel, control the first sensing module to collect the posture sensing data of the robotic arm.

[0092] In this disclosure, first sensing data can also be acquired in real time by other first sensing modules (e.g., position switches, current detection sensors, and force feedback sensors) mounted on the robotic arm. Based on the first sensing data acquired in real time by the first sensing modules, it is determined whether the robotic arm has contacted the ground of the area to be traveled, thereby determining the posture data of the robotic arm when it contacts the ground of the area to be traveled. Through the posture data of the robotic arm when it contacts the ground of the area to be traveled, the ground features of the area to be traveled can be indirectly inferred.

[0093] Next, this disclosure will describe, in conjunction with several embodiments, how to control the first sensing module to collect the first sensing data of the area to be traveled in step 212 above.

[0094] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data may include:

[0095] Step 2121: Based on the image sensing data, construct the three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed;

[0096] Step 2122: Identify the first elevation difference of the area to be traversed from the 3D data, and use it as the target elevation difference.

[0097] In this disclosure, a three-dimensional data model of the area to be traversed can be constructed using image sensing data acquired by a first sensing module. This three-dimensional data model can provide a detailed description of the ground features within the area to be traversed. The elevation changes within the area to be traversed can be analyzed from this three-dimensional data, identifying the largest elevation difference and using it as the target elevation difference. This approach allows for assessment of the terrain complexity and determines whether the traversal path needs to be adjusted to bypass the area to be traversed.

[0098] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data may include:

[0099] Step 2123: Based on attitude sensing data, determine the second elevation difference of the area to be traversed, as the target elevation difference.

[0100] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this disclosure, an embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG3.

[0101] Figure 3 illustrates a scene of the cleaning equipment in motion according to other embodiments of this disclosure.

[0102] As shown in Figure 3, the robotic arm 102 can be controlled to adjust its posture, causing the end furthest from the main body of the device to attempt to contact the ground of the obstacle area. During the adjustment of the robotic arm's posture, the first sensing module on the robotic arm (e.g., a position switch, a current detection sensor, and a force feedback sensor) can monitor whether the robotic arm is in contact with the ground of the obstacle area. When the robotic arm contacts the ground, its posture data is recorded. For example, as shown in subfigure (a) of Figure 3, the target height difference h1 of the cliff obstacle 106 can be determined by the posture data when the robotic arm contacts the ground of obstacle area B1. Similarly, as shown in subfigure (b) of Figure 3, the target height difference h2 of the threshold obstacle 107 can be determined by the posture data when the robotic arm contacts the ground of obstacle area B2.

[0103] In this embodiment, by using a robotic arm and a first sensing module to detect and record the height difference of the area to be traversed, the cleaning equipment can more accurately identify and respond to terrain changes of different obstacle types, thereby improving the accuracy of the cleaning equipment in identifying the height difference of the area to be traversed.

[0104] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data may include:

[0105] Step 2124: Based on image sensing data, construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed, and identify the first elevation difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data;

[0106] Step 2125: When the first height difference does not fall within the preset height difference range, the first height difference is determined as the target height difference;

[0107] Step 2126: When the first height difference falls into the preset height difference range, the second height difference of the area to be traveled is determined based on the attitude sensing data, and is taken as the target height difference.

[0108] In this embodiment, firstly, three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed can be constructed using image data, and the first height difference of the area to be traversed can be identified. If the first height difference is not within a preset height difference range, it indicates that it is an extreme value (too large or too small). Even considering the errors in the image data acquisition by the first sensing module, such a height difference can still be used to determine whether the area to be traversed is suitable for the cleaning equipment to pass through, and therefore it can be directly used as the target height difference. Conversely, if the first height difference is within a preset range, it indicates that it is an intermediate value. Considering the errors in the image data acquisition by the first sensing module, such a height difference is insufficient to determine the passability of the area to be traversed. Therefore, a second height difference needs to be determined based on attitude data with higher reliability as the target height difference.

[0109] For example, the cleaning equipment detects a step with a first height difference of 15 centimeters, while the preset height difference range is 5 to 10 centimeters. Since 15 centimeters is a relatively large value, the cleaning equipment can determine that the step is not a safe area to cross. Therefore, the cleaning equipment directly uses 15 centimeters as the target height difference to avoid attempting to enter. As another example, the cleaning equipment detects a carpet edge with a first height difference of 7 centimeters, falling within the preset 5 to 10 centimeter range. 7 centimeters is an intermediate value; considering the error in the image data collected by the first sensor module, the cleaning equipment cannot judge the traversability of the carpet edge solely based on this data. Therefore, the cleaning equipment needs to determine a second height difference (e.g., 6.5 centimeters) based on the posture data of its robotic arm when it contacts the obstacle area in the area it is about to traverse, and use this as the target height difference to determine whether it is safe to pass with higher reliability.

[0110] In this embodiment, by determining whether the first height difference falls within a preset height difference range, it is possible to assess whether errors in the image data collected by the first sensing module will affect the judgment of the accessibility of the area to be traversed. Furthermore, based on this assessment result, it can be determined whether a more reliable second height difference needs to be determined as the target height difference based on the posture data of the robotic arm when it contacts the ground of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed. This enhances the reliability and reference value of the target height difference, thereby improving the accuracy of the judgment of the accessibility of the area to be traversed.

[0111] In some embodiments of this disclosure, determining whether the area to be traversed is a reachable area based on area information may include:

[0112] Step 221: When the target height difference is less than the preset height difference, the area to be traveled is determined to be a reachable area;

[0113] Step 222: When the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference, the area to be traveled is determined to be an unreachable area.

[0114] In this disclosure, after determining whether the area to be traversed is an accessible area, the cleaning equipment control method may further include:

[0115] Step 230: Control the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy that matches the judgment result.

[0116] In some embodiments of this disclosure, step 230 may include steps 231 to 232.

[0117] In step 231, when the area to be traveled is an accessible area, the cleaning equipment is controlled to pass through the area. Passing through includes direct passage, adjusting posture (raising the overall or partial ground clearance of the main body (or chassis)), and timely passage. Timely passage may include passing through after completing a certain task or after a predetermined time.

[0118] In step 232, when the area to be traversed is an inaccessible area, the cleaning equipment is controlled to bypass the area. This bypass can include direct bypass or timely bypass. Timely bypass can include bypassing after a certain task is completed or bypassing after a predetermined time. For example, when encountering inaccessible areas such as steps, the equipment can bypass the area after completing the step wiping task.

[0119] In this disclosure, the path selection of the cleaning equipment can be optimized by controlling the equipment to traverse the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy matched with the target height difference. When the target height difference is less than a preset height difference, the cleaning equipment can be guided directly through the area to be traversed, thereby improving cleaning efficiency. When the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference, the cleaning equipment bypasses the area to be traversed, avoiding potential risks of damage or entrapment. This flexible strategy ensures the safety and efficiency of the cleaning equipment in different environments.

[0120] Based on the technical solution provided in this disclosure, the robotic arm's acquisition pose is determined according to the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed, and the first sensing data collected by the first sensing module on the robotic arm when the robotic arm is in the acquisition pose is acquired. This allows the target height difference of the area to be traversed to be identified based on the first sensing data for the area to be traversed, and the cleaning equipment to be controlled to pass through the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy matching the target height difference. Thus, by dynamically adjusting the robotic arm's acquisition pose, the detection angle and position of the first sensing module in the robotic arm can be optimized, reducing the interference of factors such as lighting conditions and surface reflectivity on the sensing data, thereby improving the accuracy of the cleaning equipment in identifying the height difference of the area to be traversed. Furthermore, by identifying the target height difference of the area to be traversed, the cleaning equipment can select a travel strategy matching the target height difference of the area to be traversed, thereby improving the safety of the cleaning equipment during movement.

[0121] The following describes an embodiment of the apparatus disclosed herein. It can be used to execute the cleaning equipment control method described in the above embodiments of this disclosure. For details not disclosed in the apparatus embodiments of this disclosure, please refer to the embodiments of the cleaning equipment control method described above.

[0122] Referring to Figure 4, a block diagram of a cleaning equipment control device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. The cleaning equipment includes a main body and a robotic arm disposed on the main body.

[0123] As shown in FIG4, the cleaning equipment control device 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit 401 and a judgment unit 402.

[0124] The acquisition unit 401 is used to acquire area information of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel through the first sensing module on the robotic arm; the judgment unit 402 is used to determine whether the area to be traveled is a reachable area based on the area information.

[0125] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: control the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled; and determine the target height difference of the area to be traveled based on the first sensing data; wherein the area information includes the target height difference.

[0126] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the first sensing data includes image sensing data of the area to be traveled and / or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled.

[0127] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traveled based on image sensing data; and identify a first height difference of the area to be traveled from the three-dimensional data as the target height difference.

[0128] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: determine the second height difference of the area to be traveled based on attitude sensing data, as the target height difference.

[0129] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traveled based on image sensing data, and identify a first height difference of the area to be traveled from the three-dimensional data; when the first height difference does not fall into a preset height difference range, determine the first height difference as a target height difference; and when the first height difference falls into the preset height difference range, determine a second height difference of the area to be traveled based on attitude sensing data, as the target height difference.

[0130] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: determine the robotic arm acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed; and control the first sensing module to acquire image sensing data of the area to be traversed under the robotic arm acquisition pose.

[0131] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: acquire structural feature information of the robotic arm and installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and determine the acquisition pose of the robotic arm based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, structural feature information and installation position information.

[0132] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: control the robotic arm to contact the area to be traveled; and after the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled, control the first sensing module to collect the posture sensing data of the robotic arm.

[0133] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the determination unit 402 is configured to: determine that the area to be traveled is an accessible area when the target height difference is less than the preset height difference; and determine that the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area when the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference.

[0134] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: collect second sensing data of the area to be traveled through the second sensing module on the main body of the device; based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, then obtain the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning device through the first sensing module on the robotic arm.

[0135] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the acquisition unit 401 is configured to: if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traversed, determine the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area based on the second sensing data. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the obstacle type includes either a cliff obstacle or a threshold obstacle.

[0136] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus further includes a control unit, configured to control the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traveled in accordance with a travel strategy matching the determination result after determining whether the area to be traveled is an accessible area.

[0137] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the control unit is configured to: control the cleaning device to pass through the area to be traveled when the area to be traveled is an accessible area; and control the cleaning device to bypass the area to be traveled when the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area. Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this disclosure provide a 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 a processor to perform the operations performed by the cleaning device control method described above.

[0138] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of this disclosure 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.

[0139] Based on the same inventive concept, some embodiments of this disclosure also provide a cleaning device. Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a cleaning device according to some embodiments of this disclosure. The cleaning device includes one or more memories 504, one or more processors 502, and at least one computer program (computer program instructions) stored in the memory 504 and executable on the processor 502. When the processor 502 executes the computer program, it implements the cleaning device control method as described above.

[0140] In Figure 5, a bus architecture (represented by bus 500) is shown. Bus 500 may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, linking various circuits including one or more processors represented by processor 502 and memory represented by memory 504. Bus 500 may 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 505 provides an interface between bus 500 and receiver 501 and transmitter 503. Receiver 501 and transmitter 503 may be the same element, i.e., a transceiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Processor 502 is responsible for managing bus 500 and general processing, while memory 504 can be used to store data used by processor 502 during operation.

[0141] 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 disclosure 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.

[0142] In the several embodiments provided in this disclosure, 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 example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules can be electrical or other forms.

[0143] 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; that is, 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.

[0144] 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 disclosure, 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 disclosure. 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.

[0145] Based on the technical solution proposed in this disclosure, by acquiring the area information of the area the cleaning equipment is about to travel through using a first sensing module mounted on the robotic arm, the detection angle and position of the sensing module for the area to be traveled can be optimized, reducing interference from factors such as lighting conditions and surface reflectivity on the sensing data, thereby improving the accuracy of the cleaning equipment in recognizing the area information in the area to be traveled. Determining whether the area to be traveled is reachable based on the area information allows the cleaning equipment to select a travel strategy that matches the determination result, thereby improving the safety of the cleaning equipment during its movement.

[0146] The above description is merely an embodiment of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Various modifications and variations can be made to this disclosure by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of the claims of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for controlling cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment comprising a main body and a robotic arm disposed on the main body, the method comprising: The first sensing module on the robotic arm acquires the area information of the area where the cleaning equipment is about to proceed. as well as Based on the area information, determine whether the area to be traversed is a reachable area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The step of obtaining area information of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel through the first sensing module on the robotic arm includes: Control the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled; and Based on the first sensor data, the target height difference of the area to be traversed is determined; wherein, the area information includes the target height difference.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The first sensing data includes image sensing data of the area to be traveled and / or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The step of determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: Based on the image sensing data, construct the three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed; and Identify the first elevation difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data, and use it as the target elevation difference.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The step of determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: Based on the attitude sensing data, the second elevation difference of the area to be traversed is determined as the target elevation difference.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The step of determining the target elevation difference of the area to be traversed based on the first sensing data includes: Based on the image sensing data, construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed, and identify the first height difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data; When the first height difference does not fall within the preset height difference range, the first height difference is determined as the target height difference; and When the first height difference falls within the preset height difference range, the second height difference of the area to be traveled is determined based on the attitude sensing data, and is taken as the target height difference.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The control of the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled includes: Based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed, the robotic arm's acquisition pose is determined; and The first sensing module is controlled to acquire image sensing data of the area to be traveled in the robotic arm's acquisition pose.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The step of determining the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed includes: Obtain the structural feature information of the robotic arm and the installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and The robotic arm's acquisition pose is determined based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, the structural feature information, and the installation location information.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The control of the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled includes: Control the robotic arm to contact the area it is about to travel; and After the robotic arm contacts the area it is about to travel in, the first sensing module is controlled to collect the attitude sensing data of the robotic arm.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The step of determining whether the area to be traversed is a reachable area based on the area information includes: If the target height difference is less than a preset height difference, then the area to be traversed is determined to be a reachable area; and If the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference, the area to be traveled is determined to be an unreachable area.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The method further includes: collecting second sensing data of the area to be traveled through a second sensing module on the main body of the device; The step of obtaining the area information of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel through through the first sensing module on the robotic arm includes: based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel through, then obtaining the area information of the area that the cleaning equipment is about to travel through through the first sensing module on the robotic arm.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The method further includes: If it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traversed, the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area are determined based on the second sensing data.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The method further includes: The second sensing data of the area to be traversed is collected by the second sensing module on the main body of the device; and Based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traversed, then based on the second sensing data, the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area are determined.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein, The obstacle type includes either cliff obstacles or threshold obstacles.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, After determining whether the area to be traversed is a reachable area, the method further includes: The cleaning equipment is controlled to pass through the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy that matches the judgment result.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The control of the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traversed according to a travel strategy matching the judgment result includes: When the area to be traveled is a reachable area, the cleaning equipment is controlled to pass through the area to be traveled; and When the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area, the cleaning equipment is controlled to bypass the area to be traveled.

17. A control device for cleaning equipment, the cleaning equipment comprising a main body and a robotic arm disposed on the main body, the device comprising: The acquisition unit is used to acquire area information of the area where the cleaning equipment is about to travel through the first sensing module on the robotic arm; And a judgment unit, used to determine whether the area to be traveled is a reachable area based on the area information.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: control the first sensing module to collect first sensing data of the area to be traveled; and determine the target height difference of the area to be traveled based on the first sensing data; wherein the area information includes the target height difference.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, The first sensing data includes image sensing data of the area to be traveled and / or attitude sensing data when the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traveled based on the image sensing data; and identify a first height difference of the area to be traveled from the three-dimensional data as the target height difference.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: determine the second height difference of the area to be traveled based on the attitude sensing data, and use it as the target height difference.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: construct three-dimensional data of the area to be traversed based on the image sensing data, and identify a first height difference of the area to be traversed from the three-dimensional data; when the first height difference does not fall into a preset height difference range, determine the first height difference as the target height difference; and when the first height difference falls into the preset height difference range, determine a second height difference of the area to be traversed based on the attitude sensing data, and use it as the target height difference.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: determine the robotic arm's acquisition pose based on the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area in the area to be traversed; and control the first sensing module to acquire image sensing data of the area to be traversed under the robotic arm's acquisition pose.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: acquire the structural feature information of the robotic arm and the installation position information of the first sensing module in the robotic arm; and determine the acquisition pose of the robotic arm based on the location information of the obstacle area and / or the obstacle type, the structural feature information and the installation position information.

25. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: control the robotic arm to contact the area to be traveled; and after the robotic arm contacts the area to be traveled, control the first sensing module to collect the attitude sensing data of the robotic arm.

26. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, The acquisition and judgment unit is configured to: when the target height difference is less than the preset height difference, determine that the area to be traveled is a reachable area; And if the target height difference is greater than or equal to the preset height difference, the area to be traveled is determined to be an unreachable area.

27. The apparatus according to any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: collect second sensing data of the area to be traveled through the second sensing module on the main body of the device; And based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, the area information of the area to be traveled by the cleaning equipment is obtained through the first sensing module on the robotic arm.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traveled, then determine the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area based on the second sensing data.

29. The apparatus according to any one of claims 17 to 26, wherein, The acquisition unit is configured to: collect second sensing data of the area to be traveled through the second sensing module on the main body of the device; And based on the second sensing data, if it is determined that there is an obstacle area in the area to be traversed, the location information and / or obstacle type of the obstacle area are determined based on the second sensing data.

30. The apparatus according to claim 28 or 29, wherein, The obstacle type includes either cliff obstacles or threshold obstacles.

31. The apparatus according to any one of claims 17 to 26, further comprising: The control unit is configured to, after determining whether the area to be traveled is an accessible area, control the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traveled according to a travel strategy that matches the determination result.

32. The apparatus according to claim 31, wherein, The control unit is configured to control the cleaning equipment to pass through the area to be traveled when the area to be traveled is an accessible area; When the area to be traveled is an inaccessible area, the cleaning equipment is controlled to bypass the area to be traveled.

33. A computer program product comprising 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 16.

34. A computer-readable storage medium storing at least one piece of program code, said at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by a processor to perform the operations performed by the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 16.

35. A cleaning device comprising 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, the at least one piece of program code being loaded and executed by the one or more processors to implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 16.

Images