Dock-seeking method and apparatus for cleaning robot, and cleaning robot and storage medium

Abstract

A dock-seeking method and apparatus for a cleaning robot, and a cleaning robot and a storage medium, which relate to the technical field of intelligent cleaning. The dock-seeking method comprises: controlling a cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy, and during the movement of the cleaning robot, monitoring a dock-seeking signal by using a dock-seeking signal receiver located on the side of the cleaning robot (S101); on the basis of the detected dock-seeking signal, determining a dock-aligned position of the cleaning robot (S102); and controlling the cleaning robot to move from the dock-aligned position to a dock (S103). The dock-seeking signal receiver located on the side of the cleaning robot is used for quickly capturing the dock-seeking signal again, and the dock-aligned position of the cleaning robot is determined on the basis of the dock-seeking signal, such that, according to the dock-seeking position, the cleaning robot can accurately and efficiently move towards the dock.

Description

Methods and devices for finding posts in cleaning robots, cleaning robots and storage media Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This disclosure claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 202510128534.0, filed on January 27, 2025, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of intelligent cleaning technology, and in particular to a method and apparatus for a cleaning robot to find its marker, the cleaning robot and its storage medium. Background Technology

[0003] In modern home life, robotic vacuum cleaners have become indispensable helpers in household cleaning. Despite their small size, these robots are equipped with advanced sensors and intelligent algorithms, enabling them to autonomously plan cleaning routes and efficiently clean every corner of the home. Users can set cleaning schedules via a mobile app, allowing the robot to automatically start working at the user-defined time, keeping the indoor environment clean whether it's a busy weekday or a leisurely weekend. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a method and apparatus for a cleaning robot to locate bollards, the cleaning robot itself, and a storage medium. The technical solution is as follows:

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for a cleaning robot to locate a stake is provided, comprising: controlling the cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy, and during the movement of the cleaning robot, monitoring the stake-finding signal using a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot; determining the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot based on the monitored stake-finding signal; and controlling the cleaning robot to move from the stake-aligning position to the stake.

[0006] In one implementation, the set movement strategy includes moving along an arc; controlling the cleaning robot to move a set arc length on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0007] In one implementation, controlling the cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy further includes: when the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal, controlling the cleaning robot to rotate; during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles, determining the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile; and predicting the position of the pile using the ranging information of a laser rangefinder sensor in the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile.

[0008] In one implementation, controlling the cleaning robot to rotate, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, collecting the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles by a pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot, includes: controlling the cleaning robot to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, collecting the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles by a pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

[0009] In one implementation, determining the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles includes: for each rotation angle, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, searching for the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle in a preset correspondence between pile-finding signals and scores; and determining the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each rotation angle.

[0010] In one implementation, the direction of the sweeping robot's side-mounted pile-finding signal receiver toward the pile center is determined based on the scores corresponding to the pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver at each of multiple rotation angles. This includes: if the pile-finding signal receiver receives one pile-finding signal at a given rotation angle, the score corresponding to that single signal is taken as the total score for that rotation angle; if the pile-finding signal receiver receives at least two pile-finding signals at a given rotation angle, the total score of the scores corresponding to each of the at least two signals is calculated and taken as the total score for that rotation angle; the rotation angle with the highest total score is determined based on the total scores of all rotation angles; and the direction of the sweeping robot's side-mounted pile-finding signal receiver toward the pile center is determined based on the rotation angle with the highest total score.

[0011] In one implementation, during the movement of the cleaning robot, a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal, including: during the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval, the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the stake-finding signals received at multiple moving positions; wherein, each of the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

[0012] In one implementation, determining the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the monitored docking signal includes: for each of the multiple moving positions, based on the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, searching for the corresponding score of the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position in a preset correspondence between docking signals and scores; and determining the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the corresponding score of the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

[0013] In one implementation, determining the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the scores corresponding to the docking signals received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions includes: if the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives one docking signal at a certain moving position, then the score corresponding to the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position is taken as the total score for that moving position; if the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two docking signals at a certain moving position, then the total score corresponding to the scores of the at least two docking signals received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position is calculated as the total score for that moving position; based on the total scores of the multiple moving positions, the moving position with the highest total score is determined; and the moving position with the highest total score is taken as the docking position of the cleaning robot.

[0014] In one implementation, controlling the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the pile includes: controlling the cleaning robot to return to the target position and controlling the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the pile.

[0015] In one implementation, the set movement strategy includes moving along a wall; controlling the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy includes: when the target signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the target signal, determining the range and distance along the wall; and controlling the cleaning robot to move along the wall according to the range and distance along the wall.

[0016] In one implementation, during the movement of the cleaning robot, a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the stake is determined based on the monitored stake-finding signal, including: during the movement of the cleaning robot along the wall, the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; if the monitored stake-finding signal is a center signal, the position where the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives the center signal is taken as the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the stake; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the stake-finding signal emitted by the stake.

[0017] In one implementation, controlling the cleaning robot to move from the target position toward the pile includes: controlling the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and controlling the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the center of the pile.

[0018] In one implementation, during the movement of the cleaning robot, a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal. The robot's alignment position is determined based on the monitored stake-finding signal, including: monitoring the stake-finding signal using the receiver on the side of the cleaning robot while it moves along the wall; if the monitored stake-finding signal is a first signal, determining whether a second signal was received before receiving the first signal; wherein the first signal corresponds to a first transmission range of the stake-finding signal; the second signal corresponds to a second transmission range of the stake-finding signal; if one or more second signals were received before receiving the first signal, selecting the second signal with the shortest time difference from receiving the first signal from among the one or more second signals, calling it the target signal; calculating the distance between the location of the first signal and the location of the target signal based on the location of the first signal and the location of the target signal; determining whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; if so, taking the center of the line connecting the location of the first signal and the location of the target signal as the robot's alignment position.

[0019] In one implementation, during the movement of the cleaning robot, a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the stake is determined based on the monitored stake-finding signal, including: during the movement of the cleaning robot along the wall, the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; if the monitored stake-finding signal includes a third signal and a fourth signal, the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is calculated; if the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, the center of the line connecting the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is taken as the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the stake.

[0020] In one implementation, controlling the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the pile includes: controlling the cleaning robot to return to the target position and controlling the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the pile.

[0021] Secondly, a stake-finding device for a cleaning robot is provided, comprising: a monitoring unit for controlling the cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy, and monitoring the stake-finding signal using a stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot; a determining unit for determining the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot based on the monitored stake-finding signal; and a stake-moving unit for controlling the cleaning robot to move from the stake-aligning position to the stake.

[0022] In one implementation, the set movement strategy includes moving along an arc; the monitoring unit is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to move a set arc length on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0023] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: control the sweeping robot to rotate when the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the sweeping robot fails to capture the pile-finding signal; and during the rotation of the sweeping robot, collect the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot; determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; and predict the position of the pile using the ranging information of the laser rangefinder in the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile.

[0024] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

[0025] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: for each of the multiple rotation angles, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, and in a preset correspondence between the pile-finding signal and the score, find the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle.

[0026] Based on the score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple rotation angles, the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile is determined.

[0027] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the rotation angle, then take the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the rotation angle as the total score for the rotation angle; if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the rotation angle, then calculate the total score corresponding to the scores of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the rotation angle, and take this as the total score for the rotation angle; determine the rotation angle with the highest total score based on the total scores of each rotation angle among multiple rotation angles; and determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the rotation angle with the highest total score.

[0028] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: collect the pile-finding signals received at multiple moving positions by a pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval; wherein, each moving position among the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

[0029] In one implementation, the determining unit is further configured to: for each of the multiple moving positions, based on the stake-finding signal received by the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, search for the corresponding score of the stake-finding signal received by the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position in a preset correspondence between stake-finding signals and scores; and determine the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the stake based on the corresponding score of the stake-finding signal received by the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

[0030] In one implementation, the determining unit is further configured to: if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the moving position, then take the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the moving position as the total score of the moving position; if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the moving position, then calculate the total score corresponding to the scores of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the moving position, and take it as the total score of the moving position; determine the moving position with the highest total score based on the total scores of each moving position among multiple moving positions; and take the moving position with the highest total score as the pile-aligning position of the cleaning robot.

[0031] In one implementation, the pile-moving unit is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to return to the pile-aligning position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the pile center.

[0032] In one implementation, the set movement strategy includes moving along the wall; the monitoring unit is further configured to: determine the wall range and wall distance when the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal; and control the cleaning robot to move along the wall according to the wall range and wall distance.

[0033] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: monitor the pile-finding signal using a pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot along the wall; the determining unit is further configured to: if the monitored pile-finding signal is a center signal, take the position of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal as the pile-alignment position of the cleaning robot; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the pile that emits the pile-finding signal.

[0034] In one implementation, the pile-moving unit is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the center of the pile.

[0035] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: monitor the target signal using a target signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot along the wall; the determining unit is further configured to: if the detected target signal is a first signal, determine whether a second signal has been received before the first signal is received; wherein the first signal corresponds to a first transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; the second signal corresponds to a second transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; if one or more second signals have been received before the first signal is received, select the second signal with the shortest time difference from the first signal received from the one or more second signals, and call it the target signal; calculate the distance between the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received based on the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received; determine whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; if so, take the center of the line connecting the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received as the target position of the cleaning robot.

[0036] In one implementation, the monitoring unit is further configured to: monitor the target-finding signal using a target-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot along the wall; the determining unit is further configured to: if the monitored target-finding signal includes a third signal and a fourth signal, calculate the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received; if the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, take the center of the line connecting the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received as the target-finding position of the cleaning robot.

[0037] In one implementation, the pile-moving unit is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to return to the pile-aligning position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the pile center.

[0038] Thirdly, a cleaning robot is provided, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the staking method of the cleaning robot described in any of the preceding claims.

[0039] Fourthly, a storage medium is provided that stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the staking method of the cleaning robot described in any of the preceding claims when running. Attached Figure Description

[0040] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below.

[0041] Figure 1 shows a flowchart of the locator-finding method for the cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0042] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of the control of the cleaning robot provided in the embodiment of this application to move on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0043] Figure 3 shows the center, first, second, third, and fourth transmission ranges of the pile locating signal provided in the embodiment of this application.

[0044] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the control of the cleaning robot provided in this application to move along the wall according to the wall range and wall distance.

[0045] Figure 5 shows a structural diagram of the stake-finding device for the cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0046] Exemplary embodiments of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present application may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0047] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the term "comprising" and its variations should be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to."

[0048] Currently, some robotic vacuum cleaners are equipped with infrared docking signal receivers located at the rear of the robot. These receivers track these infrared docking signals to locate and approach the charging dock. However, because the receivers are located at the rear of the robot, there are instances where they fail to capture the infrared docking signals. This technical problem urgently needs to be solved.

[0049] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a method for a cleaning robot to locate staking posts, as shown in Figure 1. This method may include the following steps S101 to S103.

[0050] Step S101: Control the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, and monitor the target finding signal using the target finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement.

[0051] In some embodiments, the movement strategy set in this step may be moving along an arc, moving along a wall, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0052] The cleaning robot is equipped with a docking station equipped with a docking signal transmitter to send docking signals; the cleaning robot is also equipped with a docking signal receiver to receive the docking signals sent by the docking signal transmitter. In some embodiments, the docking station for the cleaning robot may also be called a charging station or charging base. In some embodiments, the docking signal may be an infrared, ultrasonic, or laser signal, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0053] The docking station for the cleaning robot can charge, add water, drain water, and navigate the robot; this embodiment does not impose any limitations on this. The docking signal receiver can be located on the right or left side of the cleaning robot.

[0054] Step S102: Determine the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the target based on the monitored target signal.

[0055] Step S103: Control the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target.

[0056] This embodiment can utilize the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot to quickly recapture the pile-finding signal, and then determine the cleaning robot's alignment position with the pile based on the pile-finding signal, thereby enabling accurate and efficient movement towards the pile according to the alignment position.

[0057] This application provides an implementation method whereby if the set movement strategy includes moving along an arc, then the above step S101 controls the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, which may specifically include the following step A0.

[0058] Step A0: Control the cleaning robot to move along an arc with a set arc length, centered on the pile and with the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0059] In this step, the arc length can be set according to actual needs, and this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on it. Based on the relationship between arc length and central angle, i.e., arc length = radius × (central angle / 180 degrees) × π, the radius is known, and the arc length can be represented by the central angle. In some embodiments, the arc length is set to an arc length with a central angle of 30 degrees. In other embodiments, the arc length is set to an arc length with a central angle of 60 degrees, etc.

[0060] This embodiment can accurately and efficiently control the cleaning robot to move along a set arc length on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius. In this way, the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot can be used to monitor the pile-finding signal during the movement of the cleaning robot.

[0061] This application provides an implementation method in which the above step S101 controls the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, and may further include the following steps A1 to A3.

[0062] Step A1: When the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal, control the cleaning robot to rotate. During the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles.

[0063] Step A2: Based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles, determine the direction in which the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot faces the center of the pile.

[0064] Step A3: The location of the pile is predicted using the ranging information from the laser rangefinder sensor, with the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot facing the center of the pile.

[0065] Steps A1 to A3 above can be performed before step A0. This allows the position of the stake to be predicted, and the cleaning robot to be controlled to move along an arc with the stake as the center and the distance from the stake to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0066] Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of controlling the cleaning robot to move on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius, according to an embodiment of this application. In Figure 2, the pile-finding signal receiver 211 on the right side of the cleaning robot 21 is oriented towards the center of the pile. The cleaning robot 21 moves on an arc with the pile 22 as the center and the distance from the pile 22 to the current position of the cleaning robot 21 as the radius by a set arc length, where the set arc length is the arc length with a central angle of 30 degrees.

[0067] This embodiment can quickly recapture the target signal by moving along an arc and combining the target signal receiver and laser rangefinder on the right side of the cleaning robot. Then, the robot can determine the target position based on the target signal, so that it can move towards the target accurately and efficiently according to the target position.

[0068] Figure 3 illustrates the center, first, second, third, and fourth transmission ranges of the pile locating signal provided in this embodiment. Figure 3 shows the center transmission range 30, first transmission range 31, second transmission range 32, third transmission range 33, and fourth transmission range 34 enclosed by dashed lines. It should be noted that this is merely illustrative and does not limit the scope of this embodiment.

[0069] Specifically, multiple pile-finding signal transmitters can be deployed on the piles 22 corresponding to the cleaning robot. The multiple pile-finding signal transmitters are not shown in Figure 3. The signal strength and transmission angle of the multiple pile-finding signal transmitters can be configured so that the transmission range of the multiple pile-finding signal transmitters can include a central transmission range 30, a first transmission range 31, a second transmission range 32, a third transmission range 33, and a fourth transmission range 34.

[0070] In some embodiments, the plurality of pile-finding signal transmitters include a first pile-finding signal transmitter, a second pile-finding signal transmitter, a third pile-finding signal transmitter, a fourth pile-finding signal transmitter, and a fifth pile-finding signal transmitter. By configuring their signal strength and transmission angle, the transmission range of the first pile-finding signal transmitter is the central transmission range 30, the transmission range of the second pile-finding signal transmitter is the first transmission range 31, the transmission range of the third pile-finding signal transmitter is the second transmission range 32, the transmission range of the fourth pile-finding signal transmitter is the third transmission range 33, and the transmission range of the fifth pile-finding signal transmitter is the fourth transmission range 34. It should be noted that the examples here are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of this embodiment.

[0071] This application provides an implementation method in which step A1 controls the cleaning robot to rotate, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles. Specifically, it may include the following step A11.

[0072] Step A11: Control the cleaning robot to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

[0073] In this step, the first preset duration can be a value ranging from 50 to 200 milliseconds. In some embodiments, the first preset duration is 100 milliseconds, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this. The preset angle can be an angle value ranging from 1 to 90 degrees, such as a preset angle of 20 degrees, etc., and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0074] Taking a preset duration of 100 milliseconds and a preset angle of 20 degrees as an example, the rotation angle corresponding to the 100th millisecond is 20 degrees, the rotation angle corresponding to the 200th millisecond is 40 degrees, the rotation angle corresponding to the 300th millisecond is 60 degrees, the rotation angle corresponding to the 400th millisecond is 80 degrees, the rotation angle corresponding to the 500th millisecond is 100 degrees, and so on. The rotation angle corresponding to the 1800th millisecond is 360 degrees. It should be noted that the examples here are only illustrative and do not limit this embodiment.

[0075] This application provides an implementation method in which step A2 above determines the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles. Specifically, it may include the following steps A21 and A22.

[0076] Step A21: For each rotation angle among multiple rotation angles, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, find the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle in the preset correspondence between pile-finding signals and scores.

[0077] Step A22: Based on the score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple rotation angles, determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile.

[0078] Taking the preset pile-finding signals, including the center signal, the first signal, the second signal, the third signal, and the fourth signal, as an example, as shown in Figure 3, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range 30 of the pile-finding signal, the first signal corresponds to the first transmission range 31 of the pile-finding signal, the second signal corresponds to the second transmission range 32 of the pile-finding signal, the third signal corresponds to the third transmission range 33 of the pile-finding signal, and the fourth signal corresponds to the fourth transmission range 34 of the pile-finding signal.

[0079] The score corresponding to the center signal is S0, the score corresponding to the first signal is S1, the score corresponding to the second signal is S2, the score corresponding to the third signal is S3, and the score corresponding to the fourth signal is S4. Here, S0 is the largest, S1 and S2 are both greater than S3, and S1 and S2 are both greater than S4. In some embodiments, S0 is 10, S1 = S2 = 3, and S3 = S4 = 1. It should be noted that the examples here are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of this embodiment.

[0080] This application provides an implementation method in which step A22 determines the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver at each of the multiple rotation angles. Specifically, it may include the following steps A221 to A223.

[0081] Step A221: If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the rotation angle, then the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the rotation angle is taken as the total score for that rotation angle.

[0082] If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at that rotation angle, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle is calculated as the total score for that rotation angle.

[0083] Step A222: Determine the rotation angle with the highest total score based on the total score of each rotation angle among multiple rotation angles.

[0084] Step A223: Based on the rotation angle with the highest total score, determine the direction in which the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot faces the center of the pile.

[0085] Referring again to Figure 3, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range 30 of the pile-finding signal, the first signal corresponds to the first transmission range 31 of the pile-finding signal, the second signal corresponds to the second transmission range 32 of the pile-finding signal, the third signal corresponds to the third transmission range 33 of the pile-finding signal, and the fourth signal corresponds to the fourth transmission range 34 of the pile-finding signal. The score corresponding to the center signal is S0, the score corresponding to the first signal is S1, the score corresponding to the second signal is S2, the score corresponding to the third signal is S3, and the score corresponding to the fourth signal is S4. Here, S0 is the largest, S1 and S2 are both greater than S3, and S1 and S2 are both greater than S4. In some embodiments, S0 is 10, S1 = S2 = 3, and S3 = S4 = 1. It can be seen that the higher the total score, the closer to the center of the pile. Here, the rotation angle with the highest total score is used as the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile, which improves the efficiency of pile finding.

[0086] This application provides an implementation method in which step S101 monitors the target finding signal using the target finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the robot's movement. Specifically, this may include the following step A5.

[0087] Step A5: During the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple moving positions; wherein, each moving position among the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

[0088] In this step, the second preset duration can be set according to the actual situation. In some embodiments, the second preset duration is 200 milliseconds, etc., but this embodiment does not limit it.

[0089] The specified arc length segment can also be set according to the actual situation. In some embodiments, the specified arc length segment is an arc length segment with a central angle of 1 degree or 2 degrees, etc., but this embodiment does not limit this.

[0090] This embodiment collects the target-finding signals received at multiple moving positions through the target-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot, and then determines the target-alignment position of the cleaning robot based on the target-finding signals, so that it can move towards the target accurately and efficiently according to the target-alignment position.

[0091] This application provides an implementation method in which step S102 determines the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the monitored docking signal, which may specifically include the following steps A6 and A7.

[0092] Step A6: For each of the multiple moving positions, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, find the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position in the preset correspondence between pile-finding signals and scores.

[0093] Step A7: Determine the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the score of the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

[0094] Taking the preset pile-finding signals mentioned above, including the center signal, first signal, second signal, third signal, and fourth signal, as an example, and referring to Figure 3, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range 30 of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal, the first signal corresponds to the first transmission range 31 of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal, the second signal corresponds to the second transmission range 32 of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal, the third signal corresponds to the third transmission range 33 of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal, and the fourth signal corresponds to the fourth transmission range 34 of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal.

[0095] The score corresponding to the center signal is S0, the score corresponding to the first signal is S1, the score corresponding to the second signal is S2, the score corresponding to the third signal is S3, and the score corresponding to the fourth signal is S4. Here, S0 is the largest, S1 and S2 are both greater than S3, and S1 and S2 are both greater than S4. In some embodiments, S0 is 10, S1 = S2 = 3, and S3 = S4 = 1. It should be noted that the examples here are merely illustrative and do not limit the scope of this embodiment.

[0096] This application provides an implementation method in which step A7 above determines the docking position of the cleaning robot based on the score corresponding to the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions. Specifically, it may include the following steps A71 to A73.

[0097] Step A71: If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the moving position, the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the moving position shall be taken as the total score for the moving position.

[0098] If the side-mounted pile-finding signal receiver of the sweeping robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the moving position, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the side-mounted pile-finding signal receiver of the sweeping robot at the moving position is calculated as the total score for the moving position.

[0099] Step A72: Determine the move with the highest total score based on the total score of each move position among the multiple move positions.

[0100] Step A73: The position with the highest total score is taken as the docking position for the cleaning robot.

[0101] As you can see, the higher the total score, the closer it is to the center of the stake. Here, the position with the highest total score is taken as the position of the cleaning robot to the stake, which improves the efficiency of finding the stake.

[0102] This application provides an implementation method in which step S103 controls the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target, which may specifically include the following step A8.

[0103] Step A8: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target.

[0104] In this embodiment, the cleaning robot is positioned close to the center of the pile, and is controlled to return to the pile position. The robot's forward direction is then controlled to move in a straight line towards the pile center, thus improving the efficiency of pile finding.

[0105] This application provides an implementation method whereby if the set movement strategy includes moving along a wall, then step S101 above controls the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, which may specifically include the following steps B1 and B2.

[0106] Step B1: When the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal, determine the range and distance along the wall.

[0107] Step B2: Control the cleaning robot to move along the wall according to the wall range and distance.

[0108] In this embodiment, the range and distance along the wall can be set according to actual needs. In some embodiments, in a cleaning work environment including room 1, room 2, and room 3, the range along the wall can be the wall of room 1, the wall of room 2, or the walls of room 1, room 2, and room 3, etc. The distance along the wall can be 50 mm or 60 mm, etc., and this embodiment does not limit it.

[0109] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of controlling the cleaning robot to move along the wall according to the wall range and wall distance provided in the embodiment of this application. In Figure 4, the cleaning robot 21 is controlled to move along the wall to the right according to the wall range 41 and wall distance to find the stake 22. In addition, features 42, 43 and 44 in Figure 4 are schematic obstacles, which are not limited in this embodiment.

[0110] This application provides an implementation method in which, during the movement of the cleaning robot in steps S101 and S102, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the pole-finding signal; the pole-finding position of the cleaning robot is determined according to the monitored pole-finding signal, which may specifically include the following steps B3 and B41.

[0111] Step B3: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the tracking signal is monitored using the tracking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot.

[0112] Step B41: If the monitored stake-finding signal is a center signal, then the position of the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal is taken as the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the stake-finding signal emitted by the stake.

[0113] In this step, if the monitoring signal for finding the pile is a center signal, it means that the cleaning robot is located in the center line area of ​​the pile. The position of the pile finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal is taken as the position of the cleaning robot on the pile, which improves the efficiency of finding the pile.

[0114] Further, step S103 controls the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target, which may specifically include the following step B51.

[0115] Step B51: Control the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the pile.

[0116] In this embodiment, if the detected target signal is a center signal, it indicates that the cleaning robot is located in the centerline area of ​​the target. The position of the target signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal is taken as the target position of the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is controlled to stop moving along the wall and to move in a straight line towards the center of the target, thus improving the efficiency of target finding.

[0117] This application provides an implementation method in which, during the movement of the cleaning robot in steps S101 and S102, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the pole-finding signal; the pole-finding position of the cleaning robot is determined according to the monitored pole-finding signal, which may specifically include the following steps B3 and B42.

[0118] Step B3: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the tracking signal is monitored using the tracking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot.

[0119] Step B42: If the monitored target signal is the first signal, determine whether a second signal was received before receiving the first signal; wherein, the first signal corresponds to the first transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; the second signal corresponds to the second transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; if one or more second signals were received before receiving the first signal, select the second signal with the shortest time difference from receiving the first signal from among the one or more second signals, and call it the target signal; calculate the distance between the location of receiving the first signal and the location of receiving the target signal based on the location of receiving the first signal and the location of receiving the target signal; determine whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; if so, take the center of the line connecting the location of receiving the first signal and the location of receiving the target signal as the target position of the cleaning robot.

[0120] In this embodiment, the first preset distance threshold can be set according to actual needs. In some embodiments, the first preset distance threshold is 5 cm or 6 cm, etc.

[0121] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the cleaning robot 21 is controlled to move along the wall to the right according to the wall range 41 and the wall distance to find the stake 22. During the cleaning robot's movement along the wall to the right, the stake-finding signal receiver on the right side of the cleaning robot monitors the stake-finding signal. Step B42 can be executed. If it is determined that the calculated distance is less than the first preset distance threshold, it means that the cleaning robot has just passed through the centerline area of ​​the stake. The center of the line connecting the position where the first signal is received and the position where the target signal is received is taken as the cleaning robot's stake-finding position, which improves the efficiency of stake finding.

[0122] Further, step S103 controls the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target, which may specifically include the following step B52.

[0123] Step B52: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

[0124] In this embodiment, if the calculated distance is less than the first preset distance threshold, it means that the cleaning robot has just crossed the centerline area of ​​the pile. The center of the line connecting the position where the first signal is received and the position where the target signal is received is taken as the pile-aligning position of the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is controlled to return to the pile-aligning position and its forward direction is controlled to move in a straight line towards the pile center, thus improving the efficiency of pile finding.

[0125] This application provides an implementation method in which, during the movement of the cleaning robot in steps S101 and S102, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the pole-finding signal; the pole-finding position of the cleaning robot is determined according to the monitored pole-finding signal, which may specifically include the following steps B3 and B43.

[0126] Step B3: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the tracking signal is monitored using the tracking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot.

[0127] Step B43: If the monitored stake-finding signals include a third signal and a fourth signal, calculate the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received; if the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, then take the center of the line connecting the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received as the stake-finding position of the cleaning robot.

[0128] In this embodiment, the second preset distance threshold can be set according to actual needs. In some embodiments, the second preset distance threshold is 40 cm or 50 cm, etc.

[0129] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the cleaning robot 21 is controlled to move along the wall to the right according to the wall-following range 41 and the wall-following distance to find the marker 22. During the cleaning robot's right-side wall-following movement, the marker-finding signal receiver on the right side of the cleaning robot monitors the marker-finding signal. Step B42 can be executed. If the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, then the center of the line connecting the positions where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is taken as the marker-finding position of the cleaning robot, thus improving the marker-finding efficiency.

[0130] Furthermore, after step B43, the following step B52 may also be included.

[0131] Step B52: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

[0132] In this embodiment, if the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, the center of the line connecting the locations where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is taken as the docking position of the cleaning robot. The cleaning robot is controlled to return to the docking position, and its forward direction is controlled to move in a straight line towards the center of the dock, thereby improving the efficiency of dock finding.

[0133] If the robot fails to detect a marker post signal after completing its wall-following operation, it indicates a failure in marker post searching. The robot can then output a notification indicating this failure. This provides timely feedback to the user, informing them of the current marker post searching status so they can take appropriate action.

[0134] It should be noted that the sequence numbers of the steps in the above embodiments do not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application. In practical applications, all the above implementation methods can be arbitrarily combined in combination to form the embodiments of this application, which will not be described in detail here.

[0135] Based on the methods for finding posts for cleaning robots provided in the above embodiments, and based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a device for finding posts for cleaning robots.

[0136] Figure 5 is a structural diagram of the stake-finding device for a cleaning robot provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5, the stake-finding device for the cleaning robot may specifically include a monitoring unit 510, a determining unit 520, and a stake-moving unit 530.

[0137] The monitoring unit 510 is used to control the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, and to monitor the pile-finding signal using the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot.

[0138] The determining unit 520 is used to determine the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the pile based on the monitored pile-finding signal.

[0139] The pile-moving unit 530 is used to control the cleaning robot to move from the pile-aligning position to the pile.

[0140] This application provides an implementation method in which the set movement strategy includes moving along an arc; the monitoring unit 510 is further used to control the cleaning robot to move a set arc length on an arc with the pile as the center and the distance from the pile to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

[0141] This application embodiment provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: control the sweeping robot to rotate when the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the sweeping robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal, and collect the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot during the rotation process; determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; and predict the position of the pile using the ranging information of the laser ranging sensor in the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile.

[0142] This application provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

[0143] This application embodiment provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: for each of the multiple rotation angles, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, search for the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle in a preset correspondence between pile-finding signals and scores; and determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple rotation angles.

[0144] This application embodiment provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the rotation angle, then take the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the rotation angle as the total score of the rotation angle; if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the rotation angle, then calculate the total score corresponding to the scores of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the rotation angle, and take it as the total score of the rotation angle; determine the rotation angle with the highest total score based on the total score of each rotation angle among multiple rotation angles; and determine the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the rotation angle with the highest total score.

[0145] This application provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: collect the pile-finding signals received at multiple moving positions by a pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval; wherein, each moving position among the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

[0146] This application embodiment provides an implementation method in which the determining unit 520 is further configured to: for each of the multiple moving positions, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, search for the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position in a preset correspondence between pile-finding signals and scores; and determine the pile-alignment position of the cleaning robot based on the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

[0147] This application embodiment provides an implementation method in which the determining unit 520 is further configured to: if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at the moving position, then take the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the moving position as the total score of the moving position; if the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the moving position, then calculate the total score corresponding to the scores of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at the moving position, and take it as the total score of the moving position; determine the moving position with the highest total score based on the total scores of each moving position among multiple moving positions; and take the moving position with the highest total score as the pile-aligning position of the cleaning robot.

[0148] This application provides an implementation method in which the pile-moving unit 530 is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to return to the pile position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the pile center.

[0149] This application provides an implementation method in which the set movement strategy includes moving along the wall; the monitoring unit 510 is further configured to: determine the wall range and wall distance when the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot cannot capture the pile-finding signal; and control the cleaning robot to move along the wall according to the wall range and wall distance.

[0150] This application provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further used to: monitor the stake-finding signal using the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall.

[0151] The determining unit 520 is further configured to: if the monitored stake-finding signal is a center signal, then take the position of the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal as the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the stake-finding signal emitted by the stake.

[0152] This application provides an implementation method in which the pile-moving unit 530 is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the center of the pile.

[0153] This application provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further used to: monitor the stake-finding signal using the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall.

[0154] The determining unit 520 is further configured to: if the monitored target signal is a first signal, determine whether a second signal has been received before the first signal was received; wherein the first signal corresponds to a first transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; the second signal corresponds to a second transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target; if one or more second signals have been received before the first signal was received, select the second signal with the shortest time difference from the first signal received from among the one or more second signals, and call it the target signal. Based on the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received, calculate the distance between the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received; determine whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; if so, take the center of the line connecting the location of the first signal received and the location of the target signal received as the target position of the cleaning robot.

[0155] This application provides an implementation method in which the monitoring unit 510 is further used to: monitor the stake-finding signal using the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall.

[0156] The determining unit 520 is further configured to: if the monitored stake-finding signal includes a third signal and a fourth signal, calculate the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received; if the distance between the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, take the center of the line connecting the position where the third signal is received and the position where the fourth signal is received as the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot.

[0157] This application provides an implementation method in which the pile-moving unit 530 is further configured to: control the cleaning robot to return to the pile position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line toward the pile center.

[0158] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a cleaning robot, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the staking method of the cleaning robot in any of the above embodiments.

[0159] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the locator-finding method of the cleaning robot in any of the above embodiments when running.

[0160] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the specific working process of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0161] By employing the above technical solutions, the present application provides a method and apparatus for finding posts for a cleaning robot, a cleaning robot, and a storage medium. The method controls the cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy. During the movement of the cleaning robot, a post-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot monitors the post-finding signal; the robot's post-alignment position is determined based on the monitored post-finding signal; and the cleaning robot is controlled to move from the post-alignment position towards the post. As can be seen, this embodiment can utilize the post-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot to quickly recapture the post-finding signal, and then determine the robot's post-alignment position based on the post-finding signal, thereby enabling accurate and efficient movement towards the post according to the post-alignment position.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solution of this application, 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 program instructions to cause an electronic device (e.g., a personal computer, server, or network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of this application when running the program instructions. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, portable hard drive, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0163] Alternatively, all or part of the steps of the foregoing method embodiments can be implemented by hardware (such as electronic devices like personal computers, servers, or network devices) associated with program instructions. The program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program instructions are executed by the processor of the electronic device, the electronic device executes all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A method for finding posts in a cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: The cleaning robot is controlled to move according to a set movement strategy, and the pole-finding signal is monitored by the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement. The positioning of the cleaning robot relative to the target pile is determined based on the monitored target pile signal; and Control the cleaning robot to move from the target position toward the target pile.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The defined movement strategy includes moving along an arc; The control of the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy includes: The cleaning robot is controlled to move along an arc of a set length on a circle with the post as the center and the distance from the post to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method of controlling the cleaning robot to move according to a set movement strategy also includes: When the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot fails to capture the pile-finding signal, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate. During the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles. Based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles, the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile is determined; The location of the pile is predicted using distance measurement information from a laser rangefinder sensor, with the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot facing the center of the pile.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The system controls the rotation of the cleaning robot, and during the rotation, a marker-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects marker-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles, including: The cleaning robot is controlled to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the pole-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pole-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of determining the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles includes: For each of the multiple rotation angles, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle is found in the preset correspondence between the pile-finding signal and the score. Based on the score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot at each of the multiple rotation angles, the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile is determined.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Based on the score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple rotation angles, the direction of the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot toward the center of the pile is determined, including: If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives a pile-finding signal at that rotation angle, then the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle is taken as the total score for that rotation angle. If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at that rotation angle, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle is calculated as the total score for that rotation angle. The rotation angle with the highest total score is determined based on the total score of all rotation angles among multiple rotation angles. Based on the rotation angle with the highest total score, the direction in which the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot faces the center of the pile is determined.

7. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, During the movement of the cleaning robot, the tracking signal is monitored using a tracking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot, including: During the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval, the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot collects the pile-finding signals received at multiple moving positions; wherein, each of the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The step of determining the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the monitoring stake-finding signal includes: For each of the multiple moving positions, based on the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, the corresponding score of the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position is found in the preset correspondence between the pile-finding signal and the score. The docking position of the cleaning robot is determined based on the score of the docking signal received by the docking signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The step of determining the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the target pile based on the score of the target pile signal received by the target pile signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions includes: If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot receives a pile-finding signal at the moving position, the score corresponding to the pile-finding signal received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot at the moving position shall be used as the total score for the moving position. If the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot receives at least two pile-finding signals at the moving position, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two pile-finding signals received by the pile-finding signal receiver on the side of the sweeping robot at the moving position is calculated as the total score for the moving position. The position with the highest total score is determined based on the total score of all multiple positions. The position with the highest total score is taken as the docking position of the cleaning robot.

10. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target includes: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The defined movement strategy includes moving along the wall; The control of the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy includes: When the pile-finding signal receiver at the rear of the cleaning robot fails to capture the pile-finding signal, the wall-following range and wall-following distance are determined. The cleaning robot is controlled to move along the wall according to the range and distance along the wall.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, During the movement of the cleaning robot, the tracking signal is monitored using a tracking signal receiver on the side of the robot; the robot's alignment position with the tracking station is determined based on the monitored tracking signal, including: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the target finding signal is monitored using the target finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot. If the detected stake-finding signal is a center signal, then the position of the stake-finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal is taken as the stake-aligning position of the cleaning robot; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the stake emitting the stake-finding signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target includes: Control the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the pile.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, During the movement of the cleaning robot, the tracking signal is monitored using a tracking signal receiver on the side of the robot; the robot's alignment position with the tracking station is determined based on the monitored tracking signal, including: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the target finding signal is monitored using the target finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot. If the monitored pile-finding signal is a first signal, then it is determined whether a second signal was received before the first signal was received; wherein, the first signal corresponds to a first transmission range from which the pile emits the pile-finding signal; and the second signal corresponds to a second transmission range from which the pile emits the pile-finding signal. If one or more of the second signals have been received before the first signal is received, then the second signal with the shortest time difference from the first signal is selected from the one or more second signals and is called the target signal. Calculate the distance between the location where the first signal was received and the location where the target signal was received, based on the location where the first signal was received and the location where the target signal was received; Determine whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; If so, the center of the line connecting the location where the first signal is received and the location where the target signal is received is taken as the anchor position of the cleaning robot.

15. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, During the movement of the cleaning robot, the tracking signal is monitored using a tracking signal receiver on the side of the robot; the robot's alignment position with the tracking station is determined based on the monitored tracking signal, including: As the cleaning robot moves along the wall, the target finding signal is monitored using the target finding signal receiver on the side of the cleaning robot. If the monitored stake-finding signals include a third signal and a fourth signal, then calculate the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received; If the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, then the center of the line connecting the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is taken as the anchor position of the cleaning robot.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The control of the cleaning robot to move from the target position to the target includes: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

17. A stake-finding device for a cleaning robot, characterized in that, include: The monitoring unit is used to control the cleaning robot to move according to the set movement strategy, and to monitor the target finding signal using the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot during the movement of the cleaning robot. The determining unit is used to determine the alignment position of the cleaning robot with the pile based on the monitored pile-finding signal; A pile-moving unit is used to control the cleaning robot to move from the pile position toward the pile.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, The defined movement strategy includes moving along an arc; the monitoring unit is also used for: The cleaning robot is controlled to move along an arc of a set length on a circle with the post as the center and the distance from the post to the current position of the cleaning robot as the radius.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: When the signal monitoring module at the rear of the cleaning robot fails to capture the target finding signal, the cleaning robot is controlled to rotate. During the rotation of the cleaning robot, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot collects the target finding signal received at multiple rotation angles. Based on the pile-finding signals received at multiple rotation angles, the direction of the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot toward the center of the pile is determined; The signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot predicts the position of the pile by using the ranging information from the laser ranging sensor in the direction of the pile center.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: The cleaning robot is controlled to rotate a preset angle every first preset time interval, and during the rotation of the cleaning robot, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot collects the target finding signals received at multiple rotation angles; wherein, each rotation angle among the multiple rotation angles is determined according to the number of rotations and the preset angle.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: For each of the multiple rotation angles, based on the pole-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle, the corresponding score of the pole-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle is found in the preset correspondence between the pole-finding signal and the score. Based on the score of the target-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot at each of the multiple rotation angles, the direction in which the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot faces the center of the target pile is determined.

22. The apparatus according to claim 21, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: If the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot receives a stake-finding signal at that rotation angle, the score corresponding to the stake-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at that rotation angle shall be taken as the total score for that rotation angle. If the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot receives at least two stake-finding signals at the rotation angle, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two stake-finding signals received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot at the rotation angle is calculated as the total score for the rotation angle. The rotation angle with the highest total score is determined based on the total score of all rotation angles among multiple rotation angles. Based on the rotation angle with the highest total score, the direction in which the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot faces the center of the pile is determined.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: During the process of the cleaning robot moving a specified arc length segment every second preset time interval, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot collects the target finding signals received at multiple moving positions; wherein, each of the multiple moving positions is determined according to the number of moves and the specified arc length segment.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23, characterized in that, The determining unit is further configured to: For each of the multiple moving positions, based on the stake-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position, the corresponding score of the stake-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at that moving position is found in the preset correspondence between the stake-finding signal and the score. The docking position of the cleaning robot is determined based on the score of the target-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot at each of the multiple moving positions.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24, characterized in that, The determining unit is further configured to: If the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot receives a stake-finding signal at the moving position, the score corresponding to the stake-finding signal received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot at the moving position shall be used as the total score for the moving position. If the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot receives at least two stake-finding signals at the moving position, the total score corresponding to each of the at least two stake-finding signals received by the signal monitoring module on the side of the sweeping robot at the moving position is calculated as the total score for the moving position. The position with the highest total score is determined based on the total score of all multiple positions. The position with the highest total score is taken as the docking position of the cleaning robot.

26. The apparatus according to claim 19, characterized in that, The pile-moving unit is also used for: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

27. The apparatus according to claim 17, characterized in that, The set movement strategy includes moving along a wall; the monitoring unit is also used for: When the signal monitoring module at the rear of the cleaning robot fails to capture the stake-finding signal, the wall-following range and wall-following distance are determined. The cleaning robot is controlled to move along the wall according to the range and distance along the wall.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: During the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; The determining unit is further configured to: If the detected target signal is a center signal, the position of the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot when it receives the center signal is taken as the target position of the cleaning robot; wherein, the center signal corresponds to the center transmission range of the target signal emitted by the target.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28, characterized in that, The pile-moving unit is also used for: Control the cleaning robot to stop moving along the wall, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the pile.

30. The apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: During the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; The determining unit is further configured to: If the monitored pile-finding signal is the first signal, then it is determined whether the second signal was received before the first signal was received; wherein, the first signal corresponds to the first transmission range of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal; and the second signal corresponds to the second transmission range of the pile emitting the pile-finding signal. If one or more second signals have been received before the first signal is received, then the second signal with the shortest time difference from the first signal is selected from the one or more second signals and is called the target signal. Calculate the distance between the location where the first signal was received and the location where the target signal was received, based on the location where the first signal was received and the location where the target signal was received; Determine whether the calculated distance is less than a first preset distance threshold; If so, the center of the line connecting the position where the first signal is received and the position where the target signal is received is taken as the anchor position of the cleaning robot.

31. The apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that, The monitoring unit is also used for: During the process of the cleaning robot moving along the wall, the signal monitoring module on the side of the cleaning robot is used to monitor the stake-finding signal; The determining unit is further configured to: If the monitored stake-finding signal includes a third signal and a fourth signal, then calculate the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received; If the distance between the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is less than a second preset distance threshold, then the center of the line connecting the location where the third signal is received and the location where the fourth signal is received is taken as the anchor position of the cleaning robot.

32. The apparatus according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that, The pile-moving unit is also used for: Control the cleaning robot to return to the target position, and control the cleaning robot to move in a straight line towards the center of the target pile.

33. A cleaning robot, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the staking method of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

34. A storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the locator-finding method of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 16 when it is run.

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