Auto-recharging of robot
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional auto-recharging methods for robots, such as sweeping robots, rely on active light sources which increase costs due to high energy consumption and require additional equipment, and are not adaptable to environments with obstacles, leading to poor flexibility and short service life.
Innovation Solution
A method where a robot uses real-time image capture to determine the position of a charging pile and navigate along a straight-line or approximately straight-line path to dock without an active light source, reducing equipment requirements and costs, and allowing for flexible path planning to overcome obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If active light source guidance is used for auto-recharging, then the robot can accurately locate and dock with the charging pile, but the manufacturing cost and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the active light source guidance system from the charging pile and replaces it with passive visual markers. The robot uses its own imaging device to capture images of these markers, eliminating the need for complex light emission and reception equipment at the charging pile while maintaining docking accuracy through image processing and coordinate calculation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual markers that can be captured by the robot's imaging device as a substitute for active light sources. The markers serve as visual copies or representations of the charging pile location, allowing the robot to locate and dock with the charging pile through image capture and processing rather than through active light signal reception
2Ease of operation
If active light source guidance is used for auto-recharging, then the robot can navigate to the charging pile, but the service life is reduced due to high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the energy-consuming active light source from the charging pile system. Instead of continuously emitting light signals, the system uses passive visual markers that reflect ambient light, dramatically reducing the energy consumption of the charging pile while maintaining the robot's ability to autonomously navigate and dock for recharging
Solution Approach 2:
The robot uses its own imaging device and processing capabilities to locate and navigate to the charging pile, rather than relying on an active light source system that would require continuous energy input. The passive markers serve the system without consuming energy, allowing the robot to perform auto-recharging with minimal energy expenditure from the charging infrastructure
3Measurement precision
If active light source guidance is used for auto-recharging, then the robot can locate the charging pile, but the adaptability to environments with obstacles is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional active light signal transmission model to a two-dimensional image capture and processing model. By capturing images of visual markers and calculating coordinates through image processing, the system can detect obstacles and adjust the navigation path in real-time, significantly improving adaptability to environments with obstacles while maintaining accurate charging pile location detection
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a robot, an auto-recharging method therefor and a storage medium. The auto-recharging method for a robot comprises: the robot moving from an initial position to a docking position, wherein the docking position faces a charging interface of a charging pile; the robot traveling from the docking position to a charging position along a first path such that the robot is docked to the charging pile at the charging position, wherein the first path is a straight-line or approximately straight-line path, and the robot maintains a docking pose during the course of traveling along the first path and the charging pile is identified in the images captured by the robot in real time. The present disclosure may achieve auto-recharging of the robot without guidance of active light source, thereby reducing the cost of the robot and meanwhile offering a high flexibility to the equipment.