CN109388143B

CN109388143B - Robot and walking control method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN109388143B
Application number: CN201811445763.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孔钊; 冯宇
Original assignee: Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-29
Filing date: 2018-11-29
Publication date: 2024-03-12
Anticipated expiration: 2038-11-29
Also published as: CN109388143A; WO2020108550A1

Abstract

The invention provides a robot and a walking control method thereof. The robot includes main part, controller and at least part of acceping in the obstacle detection device of main part that can walk around, obstacle detection device includes: a sensing element disposed within the body and connected to the controller, the sensing element transmitting an obstacle signal to the controller when the sensing element is activated; a rotating member rotatably assembled on the main body about a pivot shaft, the rotating member including a barrier contact portion and a trigger portion, the barrier contact portion being at least partially higher than the main body upper surface; when the obstacle contact part collides with an obstacle, the rotating piece rotates from an initial position to an excitation position along the first time needle direction around the pivot shaft, and the triggering part approaches the sensing element to enable the sensing element to be excited, so that the obstacle above can be detected, and the obstacle below is prevented from being blocked.

Description

Robot and walking control method thereof

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of intelligent equipment, and relates to a robot and a walking control method thereof.

Background

Along with the progress of science and technology, robots are increasingly widely applied in industry and life, such as cleaning robots of intelligent floor sweeping machines, intelligent dust collectors, intelligent purifiers and the like, garden robots of intelligent mowers, intelligent flower watering machines and the like, or service robots of intelligent accompanying machines, intelligent reading machines, intelligent service machines and the like, which integrate self-charging, walking and operation technologies, are the most challenging hot research and development subjects in the field of robots at present.

The existing robot is generally provided with an obstacle-encountering detection device at the front side thereof so as to avoid an obstacle in the walking process or adjust the walking direction in time after colliding with the obstacle; however, the obstacle detection device cannot detect the obstacle above the robot, so that the robot is blocked below the obstacle frequently in the walking process.

Taking a cleaning robot as an example, the obstacle meeting detection device generally comprises a sensor matched with the bumper, and when the bumper meets a front obstacle during the walking process of the cleaning robot, the bumper moves backwards and triggers the sensor to recognize that the front obstacle exists. However, when there is a gap with the cleaning robot at the lower part of the furniture such as a bed, a sofa, a table, a chair, etc., the cleaning robot cannot detect the obstacles because the bumper cannot be collided, and the cleaning robot is blocked once moving under the furniture, so that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move to other positions for cleaning.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a robot and a walking control method thereof, which at least solve the problem that the robot in the prior art cannot detect an obstacle above.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a robot including a main body capable of walking back and forth, a controller, and an obstacle detection device at least partially accommodated in the main body, the obstacle detection device including:

a sensing element disposed within the body and connected to the controller, the sensing element transmitting an obstacle signal to the controller when the sensing element is activated;

a rotating member rotatably assembled on the main body about a pivot shaft, the rotating member including a barrier contact portion and a trigger portion, the barrier contact portion being at least partially higher than the main body upper surface;

when the obstacle contact part collides with an obstacle, the rotating piece rotates from an initial position to an excitation position along the first time needle direction around the pivot shaft, and the triggering part approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the rotating member further includes a limiting portion that abuts against the main body to prevent the rotating member from rotating from the initial position around the pivot shaft in a second clockwise direction, wherein the second clockwise direction and the first clockwise direction are opposite to each other.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle contacting portion includes a tip end that is higher than the upper surface of the main body, a first guide surface that extends forward and downward from the tip end, and a second guide surface that extends rearward and downward from the tip end, and the rotating member is capable of rotating from the initial position to the energized position about the pivot shaft in the first time pin direction when either one of the first guide surface and the second guide surface collides with an obstacle.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the invention, the second guide surface is provided as a cambered surface, and its arc center is located in front of the pivot shaft.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle contacting portion further includes a third guide surface connected to a rear end of the second guide surface;

the main body is provided with an opening, and part of the barrier contact part protrudes out of the upper surface of the main body from bottom to top through the opening;

the third guide surface and the first guide surface are both arranged to be arc surfaces with arc centers located on the pivot shaft, and when the rotating piece rotates along the first time needle direction, the third guide surface is always attached to the rear edge of the opening, and the first guide surface is always attached to the front edge of the opening.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the obstacle contacting portion further includes a third guide surface connected to a front end of the first guide surface;

the third guide surface and the second guide surface are both arc surfaces with arc centers on the pivot shaft, and when the rotating piece rotates along the first time needle direction, the second guide surface is always attached to the rear edge of the opening, and the third guide surface is always attached to the front edge of the opening.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the pivot shaft extends horizontally perpendicular to the front-rear direction, and when the rotating member rotates in the first time pin direction from the initial position, the rotating member portion located above the pivot shaft has a rear-front movement component, and the rotating member portion located below the pivot shaft has a front-rear movement component.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the main body includes a main body and a casing movably covering the outside of the main body, the sensing element is disposed on the main body, and the rotating member is assembled on the casing; when the shell moves backwards relative to the machine body, the rotating piece moves backwards synchronously with the shell, and the triggering part approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited.

In order to achieve one of the above objects, an embodiment of the present invention provides a walking control method of a robot, the walking control method including:

s1, advancing according to a planned path;

s2, receiving a first obstacle signal;

s3, backing a preset distance;

s31, judging whether the first obstacle signal is received again in the backward process of the step S3; if yes, resetting the counted backward distance, and returning to the step S3; if not, entering step S4;

s4, rotating a preset angle;

s5, advancing.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the robot includes a main body, a sensing element, a controller connected to the sensing element, and a rotating member rotatably assembled on the main body about a pivot axis, the rotating member including an obstacle contacting portion and a triggering portion, the obstacle contacting portion being at least partially higher than an upper surface of the main body;

the step S2 specifically comprises the following steps: when the obstacle contact portion collides with an obstacle, the rotating piece rotates from an initial position to an excitation position along a first time needle direction around the pivot shaft, the triggering portion approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited, and the controller receives a first obstacle signal from the sensing unit.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the step S4 further includes:

s41, judging whether a second obstacle signal is received in the rotating process of the step S4; if yes, turning back to reset, and returning to the step S3; if not, the process proceeds to step S5.

As a further improvement of an embodiment of the present invention, the step S2 further includes:

s21: and marking obstacle points on the map, updating the map and storing the updated map.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the beneficial effects that: in one aspect, an obstacle above the robot may be detected; at the same time, the robot can be prevented from moving to the lower part of the obstacle to be blocked, for example, when furniture such as a bed, a sofa, a table, a chair and the like has a gap with the height of the robot or a little higher than the height of the robot, the sensing element can send an obstacle signal to the controller once the rotating element collides with the furniture, so that the controller controls the robot to move, and the rotating element rotates to enable the robot to withdraw from the lower part of the furniture.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a rotating member according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a side view of a cleaning robot having a partially cut-away structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a state in which a rotating member is not collided is shown;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of area A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the rotor of FIG. 4;

fig. 6 is a side view of a cleaning robot having a partially cut-away structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a state when a rotating member is collided is shown;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a portion of area A of FIG. 6;

fig. 8 is a flowchart of a walking control method of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a rotary member according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 10 is a side view of a cleaning robot having a partially cut-away structure according to another embodiment of the present invention, in which a state in which a rotating member is not collided is shown;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of a portion of area A' of FIG. 10;

fig. 12 is an enlarged view of the rotor of fig. 11.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings. These embodiments are not intended to limit the invention and structural, methodological, or functional modifications of these embodiments that may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art are included within the scope of the invention.

Example 1

The present invention provides a robot, in a preferred embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 to 7, which is specifically exemplified as a cleaning robot 100. The robot of the present invention will be described with reference to the cleaning robot 100, but of course, the robot of the present invention may be implemented in other specific forms, such as a garden robot, e.g., an intelligent mower, an intelligent flower watering machine, etc., or a service robot, e.g., an intelligent accompanying machine, an intelligent companion machine, an intelligent service machine, etc.

Referring specifically to fig. 1-7, cleaning robot 100 includes a main body, a controller, and an obstacle detection device.

Wherein the main body includes a body 20 and a casing 10 covering the body 20.

The body 20 includes a main unit device for performing a cleaning operation, a battery pack for supplying power required for the entire cleaning robot 100, and a traveling device 21 for carrying the entire traveling. The main unit includes an air flow generating unit, a dust collecting unit, and a cleaning unit. The air flow generating unit is used for driving air to flow along a preset air path channel and can be specifically set as a fan; the dust collecting unit is at least used for filtering and collecting foreign matters wrapped by the air flow entering the air path channel, and can specifically comprise a dust cup, a filter, a separator and the like; the cleaning unit can act on the surface to be cleaned of the cleaning area to finish cleaning the surface to be cleaned, and specifically can comprise any suction head or brush head such as a rolling brush, a side brush, a flat suction and the like. The traveling device 21 may drive the cleaning robot 100 to travel along the surface to be cleaned, and is specifically configured as a roller. In the present embodiment, the walking of the cleaning robot 100 includes advancing in the direction v, retreating in the opposite direction of the direction v, and steering around the vertical longitudinal axis.

To clearly express the position and direction described in the present application, the direction of the direction v is defined as "front", and the direction of the opposite direction of the direction v is defined as "rear"; a horizontal direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the vertical direction is defined as a left-right direction. In the present embodiment, the direction v is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the running gear 21.

The cabinet 10 includes a top cover 11 positioned above the body 20 and a side plate 12 extending downward from the peripheral edge of the top cover 11, the side plate 12 being positioned around the body 20 and surrounding the body. The cabinet 10 may define at least a partial surface appearance of the cleaning robot 100 and serves to protect the main body 20 from contamination of core components/units/structures on the main body 20. In this embodiment, the cleaning robot 100 is a D-shaped robot, that is, the housing 10 has a substantially D-shaped structure in a top view, the front wall of the side plate 12 located in front of the body 20 has a flat plate structure perpendicular to the direction v, and the rear wall of the side plate 12 located behind the body 20 has an arc shape.

The controller is configured to control the overall operation of the cleaning robot 100, which may specifically control the air flow generating unit, the cleaning unit, the traveling unit 21, and the like. For example, the controller can generate a control signal to turn on or off the battery pack to a power supply circuit of each power driving part of the cleaning robot 100, thereby controlling the cleaning robot 100 to be turned on or off; the controller can generate control signals to activate the air flow generating unit, the cleaning unit, the traveling unit 21, thereby controlling the cleaning robot 100 to perform cleaning work, and so on.

In this embodiment, the controller is disposed on the main body, specifically, the main body 20. Of course in other possible embodiments the controller may also be provided on the remote terminal device.

The controller may be implemented as various types of processors including at least one chip on which an integrated circuit is formed, and the number of the processors may be set to one or more.

Referring to FIG. 3, the obstacle detection device includes a sensing element 40 and a rotating member 30.

The sensing element 40 is disposed in the main body and connected to the controller, and when the sensing element 40 is excited, the sensing element 40 sends an obstacle signal to the controller, so that the controller can control the cleaning robot 100 according to the received obstacle signal.

The rotary member 30 is rotatably assembled to the main body about a pivot axis Z having an initial position and an excited position, the pivot axis Z extending in the left-right direction, i.e., in the horizontal direction of the vertical direction v. When the rotor 30 is in the initial position, the sensing element 40 is not activated; and when the rotating member 30 is located at the exciting position, the rotating member 30 causes the sensing element 40 to be excited. It will be appreciated that the cleaning robot 100 is normally such that the rotating member 30 is located at the initial position when the rotating member 30 does not collide with an obstacle, and the rotating member 30 is located at the activated position once the rotating member 30 collides with an obstacle (including when the rotating member 30 is kept in contact with an obstacle).

Specifically, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the rotating member 30 includes an obstacle contact portion 33 and a trigger portion 32, and the obstacle contact portion 33 is at least partially raised above the upper surface of the main body to enable the obstacle contact portion 33 to make collision contact with an obstacle. And, when the obstacle contacting portion 33 collides with the obstacle, the rotating member 30 can rotate about the pivot axis Z toward the exciting position along the initial position in the first time needle direction under the pushing of the obstacle, so that the triggering portion 32 approaches the sensing element 40, and the sensing element 40 is excited.

Thus, by providing the obstacle detection device and the controller and optimizing the structure of the obstacle detection device, the cleaning robot 100 of the present embodiment can detect an obstacle above the cleaning robot 100, and can avoid the cleaning robot 100 moving below the obstacle and being blocked, for example, when a gap having the same height or a slightly higher than the cleaning robot 100 is provided below furniture such as a bed, a sofa, a table, a chair, etc., the sensing element 40 can send an obstacle signal to the controller once the rotating member 30 collides with the furniture, so that the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to move, and the rotating member 30 rotates, thereby facilitating the cleaning robot 100 to withdraw from below the furniture.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the obstacle contacting portion 33 includes a tip 33e that is higher than the upper surface of the main body, a first guide surface 33c that extends forward and downward from the tip 33e, and a second guide surface 33b that extends rearward and downward from the tip 33 e.

When either one of the first guide surface 33c and the second guide surface 33b collides with an obstacle, the rotating member 30 can rotate about the pivot axis Z with an initial position in the first time needle direction toward the excited position, the distance from the tip 33e to the upper surface of the main body decreases, and the triggering portion 32 approaches the sensing element 40 to cause the sensing element 40 to be excited.

That is, if the lower edge of the obstacle collides with the first guide surface 33c during the forward movement of the cleaning robot 100 in the direction v, the rotating member 30 can be rotated in the first time pin direction by the pushing of the obstacle, for example, the rotating member 30 is rotated from the initial position shown in fig. 3 and 4 to the activated position shown in fig. 6 and 7 in this embodiment, the distance from the tip 33e to the upper surface of the main body is reduced, thereby preventing the cleaning robot 100 from being caught by the obstacle, and the triggering part 32 approaches the sensing element 40 such that the sensing element 40 is activated, and the sensing element 40 sends an obstacle signal to the controller; while the rotating member 30 can also be rotated in the first needle direction about the pivot axis Z by the pushing of the obstacle if the lower edge of the obstacle collides with the second guide surface 33b during the backward movement of the cleaning robot 100 in the direction v, for example, the distance from the tip 33e to the upper surface of the main body is reduced from the initial position shown in fig. 3 and 4 to the excited position shown in fig. 6 and 7 in the present embodiment, so that the cleaning robot 100 is prevented from being caught by the obstacle, and the triggering portion 32 approaches the sensing element 40 to cause the sensing element 40 to be excited, and the sensing element 40 sends an obstacle signal to the controller.

It should be noted that, when the rotating member 30 rotates around the pivot axis Z along the first time pin direction, the triggering portion 32 may cause the sensing element 40 to be excited when the rotating member 30 slightly moves from the initial position to the excited position shown in fig. 6 and 7 during the rotation of the rotating member 30 from the initial position shown in fig. 3 and 4 to the excited position shown in fig. 6 and 7. That is, only slightly rotating the rotating member 30 causes the sensing element 40 to be excited, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of the obstacle detection device. Further, as the rotational amplitude of the rotating member 30 increases from the initial position to the activated position, the triggering portion 32 may continuously place the sensing element 40 in the activated state.

In this embodiment, the sensing element 40 is configured as a micro switch, and includes a switch body 42 and a contact 41 movably disposed on the switch body 42, and when the rotating member 30 rotates around the pivot axis Z along the first time axis direction, the triggering portion 32 approaches and contacts the contact 41, so that the micro switch is activated, and the switch body 42 sends an obstacle signal to the controller. And, as the rotation amplitude of the rotator 30 increases, the contact of the trigger part 32 with the contact piece 41 is tighter, so that the micro switch is maintained in an excited state. Of course, the sensing element 40 may be provided as any device that can be activated in response to a change in distance between the trigger portion 32 and the sensing element 40, e.g., in other possible embodiments, the sensing element 40 may also be provided as a distance sensor.

Further, referring to fig. 2 and 4, the rotating member 30 includes a limiting portion 35, where the limiting portion 35 can abut against the main body to prevent the rotating member 30 from rotating in a second clockwise direction when in the initial position, where the second clockwise direction and the first clockwise direction are opposite to each other. In this way, when the first guide surface 33c or the second guide surface 33b collides with an obstacle and the turning member 30 is caused to turn in the second clockwise direction about the pivot axis Z, the stopper 35 abuts against the main body to prevent the turning member 30 from turning in the second clockwise direction.

Further, referring to fig. 1 and 4, the rotary member 30 is pivotally assembled to the casing 10. Specifically, the housing 10 further includes a mounting seat 14, a mounting channel, and a gland 13.

The mounting seat 14 is located at a position below the front portion of the top cover 11, and can be assembled and connected with the top cover 11 after being integrally formed or separately formed.

The mounting channel is formed above the mounting base 14 and communicates with the upper external space of the cleaning robot 100, so that the rotating member 30 can be assembled on the mounting base 14 from top to bottom through the mounting channel when assembled. In this embodiment, the rotating member 30 includes a pivoting portion 31 defining a pivot axis Z, the pivoting portion 31 may be fitted into the receiving cavity 140 of the mounting base 14, and both left and right ends of the pivoting portion 31 are assembled and connected with the mounting base 14.

The pressing cover 13 has an opening adapted to the obstacle contacting portion 33, and when the rotating member 30 is assembled to the casing 10, the pressing cover 13 is fastened over the mounting channel from top to bottom, which can be fixedly coupled to the top cover 11 and/or the mounting seat 14, and a part of the obstacle contacting portion 33 (in the present embodiment, the top end 33e, the second guide surface 33b, and a part of the first guide surface 33 c) protrudes upward through the opening. Preferably, the upper surface of the gland 13 is disposed generally coplanar with the upper surface of the top cap 11.

Further, the rotating member 30 is configured as an integrally formed rod structure extending lengthwise along the pivot axis Z, and the pivot portion 31 is configured as a cylindrical long straight rod, whose axis defines the pivot axis Z; the obstacle contacting portion 33 extends outwardly from the pivot portion 31 perpendicular to the pivot axis Z; the limiting parts 35 are formed at the edges of the barrier contact parts 33 and extend in a direction away from the pivot axis Z in a hook-like structure capable of abutting against the lower surface of the pressing cover 13 to prevent the rotation member 30 from rotating in the second clockwise direction at the initial position, and the limiting parts 35 are provided in 3 spaced arrangement along the pivot axis Z in the present embodiment; the trigger portion 32 extends from the pivot portion 31 in a plate structure in a direction away from the pivot axis Z, the tip of the trigger portion 32 extending beyond the mounting seat 14 to the sensing element 40 in the assembled state.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first time needle direction is counterclockwise in the view of fig. 3 to 7, and when the rotating member 30 rotates from the initial position around the pivot axis Z to the activated position, the portion of the rotating member 30 (including the obstacle contacting portion 33) located above the pivot axis Z has a movement component from the rear to the front, and the portion of the rotating member 30 (including the extended end of the triggering portion 32) located below the pivot axis Z has a movement component from the front to the rear. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the first time pin direction may also be opposite to the present embodiment.

Further, the tip 33e is located above front or above rear of the pivot axis Z, in other words, the tip 33e is not located on the same longitudinal section perpendicular to the front-rear direction as the pivot axis Z, and in this embodiment, the tip 33e is located above front of the pivot axis Z.

In a section perpendicular to the pivot axis Z, the first guide surface 33c may be provided as an inclined plane or an arc surface extending forward and downward from the tip 33 e; the second guide surface 33b may be provided as an inclined plane or an arc surface extending rearward and downward from the tip end 33 e. In the present embodiment, the first guide surface 33c and the second guide surface 33b are each provided as an arc surface.

The obstacle contact portion 33 further has a third guide surface 33a provided as an arc surface.

In the present embodiment, the third guide surface 33a is connected to the rear end of the second guide surface 33b by the arc surface 33d, that is, the first guide surface 33c, the second guide surface 33b, and the third guide surface 33a are arranged in this order from front to rear. The arc centers of the first guide surface 33c and the third guide surface 33a are both positioned on the pivot axis Z, the first guide surface 33c is abutted against the opening front edge 131 of the gland 13, and the third guide surface 33a is abutted against the opening rear edge 132 of the gland 13. In this way, when the rotation member 30 rotates about the pivot axis Z, external dust can be prevented from entering the inside of the cleaning robot 100 from the opening along with the rotation of the rotation member 30.

The arc center Z1 of the second guide surface 33b is not located on the pivot axis Z, and the arc center Z1 of the second guide surface 33b is located in front of the pivot axis Z, so that when the second guide surface 33b collides with an obstacle, the rotating member 30 does not tend to rotate around the pivot axis Z in the second clockwise direction, and in the case of the same magnitude of the collision external force, the torque of the force on the second guide surface 33b is greater, thereby making the cleaning robot 100 more easily retreated from under the obstacle, and avoiding seizing.

Of course, in other possible embodiments, regarding the positional relationship of the first guide surface, the second guide surface, and the third guide surface, and the arc center position, it is also possible to provide: the third guide surface is connected to the front end of the first guide surface, that is, the third guide surface, the first guide surface, and the second guide surface are arranged in this order from front to back; the arc centers of the third guide surface and the second guide surface are positioned on the pivot shaft Z, the third guide surface is jointed with the front edge of the opening of the gland, and the second guide surface is jointed with the rear edge of the opening of the gland, so that ash inlet can be avoided; and the arc center of the first guide surface is not located or located on the pivot axis Z. That is, of the three guide surfaces of the obstacle contact portion, the arc centers of the two guide surfaces located at both ends are located on the pivot axis Z and are fitted with the gland so as to avoid ash leakage, while the arc center of the guide surface located in the middle may or may not be located on the pivot axis Z.

It will be appreciated that the first guide surface 33c, the second guide surface 33b, and the third guide surface 33a are the outer surfaces of the collision contact portion 33 away from the pivot axis Z; in the present embodiment, the front end 331 and the rear end 332 of the impact contact portion 33 are always located below the gland 13, and in addition, the reinforcing ribs 34 are provided at the inner surface of the impact contact portion 33, thereby securing the impact-preventing structural strength of the impact contact portion 33.

Further, in this embodiment, the micro switch is specifically disposed on the body 20.

The casing 10 is movably covered on the body 20 through a flexible structure such as a spring, when the cleaning robot 100 advances along the direction v and the front wall of the side plate 12 collides with an obstacle, the casing 10 can move backward relative to the body 20 as a whole, and correspondingly, the rotating member 30 moves backward synchronously with the whole, the triggering part 32 approaches and contacts the contact piece 41 so that the micro-switch is activated, and the switch body 42 sends an obstacle signal to the controller. In this way, the cleaning robot 100 can simultaneously realize the sensing of the upper obstacle and the front obstacle by the cooperation of the same rotating member 30 and the sensing element 40 without increasing the device cost, and can also avoid the occurrence of the jamming condition when the upper obstacle is encountered.

Further, in the present embodiment, the micro switch is assembled to the body 20 in an inclined manner, and the contact 41 extends obliquely upward and rearward from the connection end to the free end thereof.

Further, the cleaning robot 100 also has a memory configured to temporarily or non-temporarily store data and programs for operation of the cleaning robot 100. In this embodiment, the memory is configured at least to: a preset map about the cleaning area is stored. The preset map may be generated by drawing, scanning, downloading, etc.

The implementation manner of the memory may be at least one or more of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, and other storage media. However, the type of the memory is not limited thereto, and it may also be a network memory that performs a storage function on the internet.

The controller is connected to the memory and is used for accessing and controlling the memory, for example: reading the map stored in the memory, controlling the memory to update the map, and the like.

Further, the present invention also provides a walking control method of a robot, referring to a preferred embodiment of fig. 8, the walking control method of the present invention specifically includes the steps of:

s1, advancing according to a planned path;

s2, receiving a first obstacle signal;

s3, backing a preset distance;

s4, rotating a preset angle;

s5, advancing.

The travel control method will be described with reference to the cleaning robot 100 shown in fig. 1 to 7:

step S1, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to advance according to a planned path;

step S2, the first guiding surface 33c or the front wall of the side plate 12 collides with an obstacle, the rotating member 30 rotates from the initial position to the activated position around the pivot axis Z along the first time needle direction, the triggering portion 32 of the rotating member 30 approaches and contacts the contact piece 41, so that the micro switch is activated, the switch body 42 sends a first obstacle signal to the controller, and the controller receives the first obstacle signal from the switch body 42;

step S3, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to retreat by a preset distance S;

step S31, judging whether a first obstacle signal is received or not in the process that the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to retreat by a preset distance S; if the cleaning robot 100 has moved back by the distance S1 (S1 < S), but the controller receives the first obstacle signal again from the switch body 42, which is possibly that the obstacle is first encountered during the forward movement of the cleaning robot 100, the obstacle is crossed by inertia, for example, the cleaning robot 100 has moved under the obstacle, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to continue to move back by the preset distance S, that is, resets the counted backward distance S1, and returns to step S3; otherwise, directly entering step S5;

step S4, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to rotate around the vertical longitudinal axis by a preset angle beta;

in step S5, after the rotation of the preset angle β is completed, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to proceed.

Further, the step S4 further includes:

Taking the cleaning robot 100 as an example, judging whether a second obstacle signal is received or not during the rotation of the cleaning robot 100 by a preset angle beta; if the controller has rotated by an angle γ (γ < β) and receives a second obstacle signal from the switch body 42, which may be an obstacle on the side of the cleaning robot 100, the controller controls the cleaning robot 100 to swing back, i.e., to swing by the angle γ, and then returns to step S3 (i.e., controls the cleaning robot 100 to retract by the preset distance S); otherwise, step S5 is entered.

Further, the step S2 further includes: s21: and marking obstacle points on the map, updating the map and storing the updated map.

Taking the cleaning robot 100 as an example, after the cleaning robot 100 encounters an obstacle, the controller may mark the obstacle point a on the map of the cleaning robot 100 according to coordinates, thereby updating the map of the cleaning robot 100, and may further control the memory to store the updated map.

Compared with the prior art, the cleaning robot 100 and the walking control method thereof of the embodiment have the following beneficial effects:

(1) An obstacle above the cleaning robot 100 can be detected, and the cleaning robot 100 can be prevented from moving below the obstacle to be blocked, for example, when furniture such as a bed, a sofa, a table, a chair and the like has a gap with the cleaning robot 100 at the same height or a little higher than the furniture, the sensing element 40 can send an obstacle signal to the controller once the rotating member 30 collides with the furniture, so that the controller can control the cleaning robot 100 to move, and the cleaning robot 100 can be conveniently withdrawn from the furniture due to the rotation of the rotating member 30;

(2) When the rotation member 30 rotates about the pivot axis Z, external dust is prevented from entering the inside of the cleaning robot 100 from the opening with the rotation of the rotation member 30.

(3) Under the condition of not increasing the device cost, the cleaning robot 100 simultaneously senses the obstacle above and the obstacle ahead through the cooperation of the same rotating piece 30 and the sensing element 40, and can also avoid the occurrence of the blocking condition when the obstacle above meets the obstacle;

(4) After the cleaning robot 100 encounters an obstacle, whether the cleaning robot 100 encounters the obstacle is detected again in the process of controlling the cleaning robot 100 to retreat, so that the cleaning robot 100 is ensured to be separated from the lower part of the obstacle smoothly, and the cleaning robot 100 is prevented from being stuck by loitering under the obstacle.

Example 2

Referring to another preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 9 to 12, which provides the robot and the walking control method thereof, the embodiment is different from embodiment 1 in that: the position and shape of the trigger part and the arrangement angle of the sensing element. The following details about this difference, and other parts/structures and advantageous effects that are the same as those of embodiment 1 will not be described again.

In this embodiment, the same components and structures as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same numerals as those in embodiment 1, and are also denoted by the same reference numerals. For example, the reference numeral "100'" in the present embodiment and the reference numeral "100" in embodiment 1 each denote a component "cleaning robot".

In the present embodiment, the triggering portion 32 'of the rotating member 30' is connected to the obstacle detecting portion 33', which extends from the front end 331' of the obstacle detecting portion 33 'to the front of the sensing element 40' in an arc shape.

Also, in the present embodiment, the sensing element 40' is provided as a micro switch including a switch body 42' and a contact piece 41' movably connected to the switch body 42', wherein the switch body 42' is vertically disposed at the front of the body 20', and the contact piece 41' is inclined upward and forward from a connection end thereof to a free end thereof.

It should be understood that although the present disclosure describes embodiments, not every embodiment is provided with a separate embodiment, and that this description is for clarity only, and that the skilled artisan should recognize that the embodiments may be combined as appropriate to form other embodiments that will be understood by those skilled in the art.

The above list of detailed descriptions is only specific to practical embodiments of the present invention, and they are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and all equivalent embodiments or modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. The utility model provides a robot, includes main part, controller and at least partly accept in that can walk around meet barrier detection device of main part, its characterized in that, meet barrier detection device includes:

when the obstacle contact part collides with an obstacle, the rotating piece rotates from an initial position to an excitation position along a first time needle direction around the pivot shaft, and the triggering part approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited;

wherein the obstacle contacting portion includes a tip that is higher than the upper surface of the main body, a first guide surface that extends forward and downward from the tip, and a second guide surface that extends rearward and downward from the tip, and the rotating member is rotatable about the pivot shaft from the initial position to the excited position in the first time pin direction when any one of the first guide surface and the second guide surface collides with an obstacle.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein the rotating member further comprises a limiting portion that abuts against the main body to prevent the rotating member from rotating from the initial position about the pivot axis in a second clockwise direction, wherein the second clockwise direction and the first clockwise direction are opposite to each other.

3. The robot of claim 1, wherein the second guide surface is provided as a cambered surface, and a center of the cambered surface is located in front of the pivot shaft.

4. The robot of claim 1, wherein the obstacle contacting portion further comprises a third guide surface connected to a rear end of the second guide surface;

5. The robot of claim 1, wherein the obstacle contacting portion further comprises a third guide surface connected to a front end of the first guide surface;

6. The robot of claim 1, wherein the pivot axis extends horizontally perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, the rotor portion above the pivot axis having a back-to-front component of motion and the rotor portion below the pivot axis having a front-to-rear component of motion when the rotor is rotated in the first time needle direction from an initial position.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a body and a housing movably covered outside the body, the sensing element is disposed on the body, and the rotating member is assembled on the housing; when the shell moves backwards relative to the machine body, the rotating piece moves backwards synchronously with the shell, and the triggering part approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited.

8. A walking control method of a robot, the walking control method comprising the steps of:

s1, advancing according to a planned path;

s2, receiving a first obstacle signal;

s3, backing a preset distance;

s4, rotating a preset angle;

s5, advancing the device to the front,

the robot comprises a main body, a sensing element, a controller connected with the sensing element and a rotating piece rotatably assembled on the main body around a pivot shaft, wherein the rotating piece comprises an obstacle contact part and a trigger part, and the obstacle contact part is at least partially higher than the upper surface of the main body;

the step S2 specifically comprises the following steps: when the obstacle contact part collides with an obstacle, the rotating piece rotates from an initial position to an excitation position along a first time needle direction around the pivot shaft, the triggering part approaches the sensing element so that the sensing element is excited, and the controller receives a first obstacle signal from the sensing element;

9. The method of controlling walking of a robot according to claim 8, wherein the step S4 further comprises:

10. The method of controlling walking of a robot according to claim 8, further comprising, after the step S2: