CN111736606A

CN111736606A - Mobile robot driving method, device and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN111736606A
Application number: CN202010600131.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 凌冰
Original assignee: Hangzhou Hikrobot Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hangzhou Hikrobot Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-28
Filing date: 2020-06-28
Publication date: 2020-10-02
Anticipated expiration: 2040-06-28
Also published as: CN111736606B

Abstract

The application discloses a mobile robot driving method, a mobile robot driving device and a storage medium, relates to the technical field of road traffic, and is beneficial to reducing the requirements on a server and saving the cost. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot; wherein the map comprises a plurality of segmented paths; when the mobile robot moves in the working area according to the determined driving route, acquiring the current position of the mobile robot at the current moment; determining the segmented path of the current position of the mobile robot in the map; acquiring a running rule configured at the current moment of the segment path to which the vehicle belongs; and moving on the corresponding segmented path according to the driving rule.

Description

Mobile robot driving method, device and storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of road traffic technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for driving a mobile robot, and a storage medium.

Background

When a plurality of mobile robots (e.g., Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) such as warehouse robots, restaurant food delivery robots, etc.) perform tasks in the same area (e.g., restaurant, warehouse, or park), there is a possibility that traveling routes of the plurality of mobile robots may collide with each other, so that the mobile robots may not normally complete the tasks. For example: a plurality of AGVs perform a cargo handling task in a campus including an intersection (e.g., a t-junction, an intersection, etc.), and if the travel routes of the AGVs traveling on different roads all include the same intersection, the AGVs may generate a travel conflict when passing through the intersection.

Currently, in order to solve the problem of mutual conflict of traveling routes between a plurality of mobile robots, a server (also called an upper computer) is generally included in a mobile robot traveling control system, and the server is in communication connection with the plurality of mobile robots. The server plans a running route for each mobile robot according to the destination and the garden map of each mobile robot and issues the running route to each mobile robot, so that running conflicts among the mobile robots are avoided as much as possible.

However, in this method, the server needs to perform complicated calculations to plan a travel route for each mobile robot to avoid travel conflicts. Therefore, the demand for the server is high.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a mobile robot driving method, a mobile robot driving device and a storage medium, which are beneficial to reducing the requirement on a server and saving the cost.

In a first aspect, there is provided a mobile robot traveling method including: acquiring a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot; wherein the map comprises a plurality of segmented paths; when the mobile robot moves in the working area according to the determined driving route, acquiring the current position of the mobile robot at the current moment; determining the segmented path of the current position of the mobile robot in the map; acquiring a running rule configured at the current moment of the segment path to which the vehicle belongs; and moving on the corresponding segmented path according to the driving rule.

Therefore, the mobile robots run in the segmented paths according to the running rules without the participation of a server, so that the running conflict among the mobile robots is avoided, and the system cost is reduced.

In one possible implementation, time is synchronized with other mobile robots in the work area; each mobile robot in the work area follows the same travel rules for the same segmented path at the same time.

In another possible implementation manner, the driving route is determined according to a map, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, a starting position of the mobile robot, and a target position of the mobile robot, wherein the attribute information of the segmented path includes: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving. Therefore, the driving route is determined only according to the map, the attribute information of the segmented path in the map, the initial position of the mobile robot and the target position of the mobile robot, and the initial positions and the target positions of other mobile robots are not required to be calculated, so that the hardware configuration requirement of the device for determining the driving route is reduced, and the cost is saved.

In another possible implementation manner, the road width of the corresponding segmented path supports at least two mobile robots to run side by side; the "moving on the segment path according to the travel rule" includes: when the driving rule is driving to the right, the mobile robot moves on the rightmost road in the driving direction of the mobile robot in the belonged segmented path; when the travel rule is left travel, the mobile robot moves on the leftmost road in the travel direction of the mobile robot in the segment path to which the mobile robot belongs. Or determining the current driving direction of the mobile robot according to the driving route; determining a specified lane allocated to the mobile robot in the current driving direction indicated by the driving rule at the current moment; the mobile robot travels on a designated lane of the segmented path.

In another possible implementation manner, the segmented path is an intersection of roads, and a driving rule configured at the intersection is used for indicating a passing direction of the intersection at each moment, wherein the passing direction includes at least one of straight running, left turning and right turning; the "moving on the segment path according to the travel rule" includes: predicting a driving direction of the mobile robot moving from the current position to a next position of the driving route according to the driving route; when the driving direction is consistent with the passing direction indicated by the driving rule of the intersection at the current moment, the mobile robot moves from the current position to the next position through the intersection; when the driving direction is not consistent with the passing direction indicated by the driving rule of the intersection at the current moment, the mobile robot stops moving until the passing direction indicated by the driving rule of the intersection at the target moment is consistent with the driving direction.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a mobile robot. The mobile robot may be adapted to perform the method of the first aspect or any one of the possible designs of the first aspect.

According to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the mobile robot may be divided into function modules according to any one of the methods provided by the first aspect to the first aspect. For example, each functional unit may be divided for each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing unit.

In a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the mobile robot may include a processor configured to perform any one of the methods provided by the first aspect to the first aspect.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a mobile robot travel system including a plurality of mobile robots, each mobile robot being configured to: determining a driving route of the mobile robot moving from the initial position to the target position according to a map corresponding to the working area of the mobile robot, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, the initial position of the mobile robot in the map and the target position of the mobile robot in the map; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; and moving from the starting position to the target position by performing any one of the methods provided in the first aspect to the first aspect.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a mobile robot travel system including a server and a plurality of mobile robots; the server is used for: acquiring the initial position of the target mobile robot, the target position of the target mobile robot and the attribute information of the segmented path in the map corresponding to the working area of the target mobile robot; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; the target mobile robot is any one of a plurality of mobile robots; determining a driving route of the target mobile robot moving from the starting position to the target position according to the starting position of the target mobile robot, the target position of the target mobile robot, the map and the attribute information of the segmented path; sending a driving route to the target mobile robot; the target mobile robot is configured to receive a driving route and perform any one of the methods provided in the first aspect to move from a starting position to a target position.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a computer device comprising a memory and a processor. The memory is coupled to the processor. The memory is for storing computer program code comprising computer instructions. When executed by a processor, the computer device performs the method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a chip system applied to a computer device, the chip system including one or more interface circuits and one or more processors. The interface circuit and the processor are interconnected through a line; the interface circuit is to receive signals from a memory of the computer device and to send the signals to the processor, the signals including computer instructions stored in the memory. When the processor executes the computer instructions, the computer device performs the method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the first aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising computer instructions that, when executed on a computer device, cause the computer device to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when run on a computer device, cause the computer device to perform the method according to any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the first aspect.

It is understood that any of the mobile robots, mobile robot traveling systems, computer readable storage media, computer program products or chips provided above can be applied to the corresponding methods provided above, and therefore, the beneficial effects achieved by the methods can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, which are not described herein again.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a robot system to which the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a computer device to which the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied;

fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a mobile robot driving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of an intersection of a road to which the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of another mobile robot driving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present concepts related in a concrete fashion.

In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more. "plurality" means two or more.

In the embodiment of the present application, "and/or" is only one kind of association relationship describing an association object, and indicates that three relationships may exist, for example, a and/or B may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

The working area in the embodiment of the present application may be an area with a defined boundary. For example, the work area may be a restaurant, warehouse, or campus, etc.

The distributed mobile robot driving method provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to the robot system shown in fig. 1. The robot system includes a plurality of mobile robots 10-1.

In one example, the robot system may not include a server responsible for centralized control, such that each mobile robot plans a travel route independently, walks along the travel route, and avoids travel conflicts with other mobile robots during the course of walking.

In another example, the robot system may further include a server 10-2, which is responsible for simple path planning, for example, planning a driving route from a starting position to a target position for the mobile robot according to the starting position and the target position of the task of the mobile robot, and a forbidden area already set in a working area, and the server 10-2 does not need to consider the problem of collision of the driving route of each mobile robot in the path planning, and each mobile robot walks along the driving route and avoids the collision of the driving routes with other mobile robots during the walking process.

For example, fig. 1 illustrates two mobile robots as an example. Wherein, each mobile robot 10-1 and the server 10-2 are connected through a network.

Mobile robot 10-1 may be any mobile robot in a work area. For example: AGVs such as warehouse robots, restaurant food delivery robots, or campus patrol robots.

The server 10-2 may be used for managing the mobile robot 10-1, and the server 10-2 may be a lightweight computer, a server cluster composed of a plurality of servers, or a cloud computing service center. The server 10-2 is described here by way of example only, and the server 10-2 is not particularly limited.

The mobile robot 10-1 and the server 10-2 described above may each be implemented by a computer device 10 as shown in fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a computer device to which the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied. The computer device 10 in fig. 2 includes, but is not limited to: a processor 101, a memory 102, an input unit 104, an interface unit 105, a power supply 106, and the like. Optionally, the computer device 10 further includes a camera 100, a time device 103, and a positioning device 107.

The camera 100 is configured to capture an image and send the image to the processor 101. The processor 101 is a control center of the computer device, connects various parts of the entire computer device using various interfaces and lines, and performs various functions of the computer device and processes data by running or executing software programs and/or modules stored in the memory 102 and calling data stored in the memory 102, thereby monitoring the computer device as a whole. Processor 101 may include one or more processing units; optionally, the processor 101 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operating systems, user interfaces, application programs, and the like, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communications. It will be appreciated that the modem processor described above may not be integrated into the processor 101. If the computer device 10 is a mobile robot 10-1, then the computer device 10 also includes a camera 100.

The memory 102 may be used to store software programs as well as various data. The memory 102 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system, an application program required by at least one functional unit, and the like. Further, the memory 102 may include high speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid state storage device. Alternatively, the memory 102 may be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

The time device 103 is used for timing. If the computer device 10 is a mobile robot 10-1, the computer device 10 may further comprise a time means 103.

The input unit 104 may include a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) that processes image data of still images or videos obtained by an image capturing device (such as a camera) in a video capturing mode or an image capturing mode.

The interface unit 105 is an interface for connecting an external device to the computer apparatus 10. For example, the external device may include a wired or wireless headset port, an external power supply (or battery charger) port, a wired or wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio input/output (I/O) port, a video I/O port, an earphone port, and the like. The interface unit 105 may be used to receive input (e.g., data information, etc.) from an external device and transmit the received input to one or more elements within the computer apparatus 10 or may be used to transmit data between the computer apparatus 10 and an external device.

A power supply 106 (e.g., a battery) may be used to supply power to the various components, and optionally, the power supply 106 may be logically connected to the processor 101 through a power management system, so that functions such as managing charging, discharging, and power consumption are implemented through the power management system.

The positioning device 107 may be used to acquire the position of the mobile robot 10-1 in the work area. The positioning device may include: a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, and the like. If the computer device 10 is a mobile robot 10-1, the computer device 10 further comprises a positioning means 107.

Optionally, the computer instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program code or system, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

It should be noted that the computer device shown in fig. 2 is only an example, and does not limit the computer device to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable. In actual implementation, the computer device may include more or fewer devices or components than those shown in FIG. 2.

The embodiment of the application can be applied to the following scenes:

restaurant application scenarios: the restaurant is provided with a plurality of food delivery robots, and the food delivery robots are used for delivering food ordered by the guests at each table position to the corresponding table positions.

The application scenario of the storehouse is as follows: the warehouse is equipped with a plurality of warehousing robots for sorting the goods (e.g., loading goods to be delivered to different regions into trucks to be delivered to the corresponding regions).

Campus application scenarios: the campus is equipped with a plurality of AGVs for performing tasks while traveling from a current location to a destination location within the campus.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

The mobile robot driving method provided by the embodiment of the application is suitable for the following two systems:

mobile robot travel system I: the mobile robot traveling system I includes a plurality of mobile robots 10-1 each for: determining a driving route of the mobile robot moving from the initial position to the target position according to a map corresponding to the working area of the mobile robot, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, the initial position of the mobile robot in the map and the target position of the mobile robot in the map; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; and the mobile robot 10-1 moves from the start position to the target position according to the travel rule configured by the segment route in the travel route.

Mobile robot travel system II: the mobile robot driving system II comprises a server 10-2 and a plurality of mobile robots 10-1; wherein, the server 10-2 is configured to: acquiring the initial position of the target mobile robot, the target position of the target mobile robot and the attribute information of the segmented path in the map corresponding to the working area of the target mobile robot; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; the target mobile robot is any one mobile robot 10-1 of the plurality of mobile robots 10-1; determining a driving route of the target mobile robot moving from the starting position to the target position according to the starting position of the target mobile robot, the target position of the target mobile robot, the map and the attribute information of the segmented path; sending a driving route to the target mobile robot;

the target mobile robot is used for receiving the driving route and moving the driving route from the starting position to the target position according to the driving rule configured by the segmented path in the driving route.

Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a mobile robot driving method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 3, the method may be applied to any one of the mobile robots 10-1 in the mobile robot traveling system I described above, and includes the steps of:

s100, the mobile robot 10-1 acquires a map of the working area of the mobile robot 10-1. Wherein the map includes a plurality of segmented paths.

In one possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 measures a work area by at least one of a laser radar or a vision sensor, etc., and maps the work area.

In another possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 obtains the map of the work area by sending a first request message to the other device. The other devices may be a mobile robot in which a map of the work area is stored, or a third-party device in which a map of the work area is stored, in addition to the mobile robot 10-1 in the work area. The other device acquires the map of the work area according to the first request message, and transmits the map of the work area to the mobile robot 10-1. The mobile robot 10-1 receives a map of the work area transmitted from the other device.

In another possible implementation manner, a map of a work area is preset in the mobile robot 10-1, and the mobile robot 10-1 reads the preset map of the work area.

S101: the mobile robot 10-1 acquires attribute information of a segment path in a map of a work area, the attribute information of the segment path including: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving.

The no-pass is used to indicate that the mobile robot 10-1 is not allowed to travel on the segmented path. When the attribute information configured on the segment path is no-pass, the segment path is in an unavailable state when the mobile robot 10-1 plans the driving route of the mobile robot 10-1, and the segment path configured with the no-pass attribute information is not included in the driving route planned by the mobile robot 10-1.

The one-way travel is used to characterize that the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to travel only in the direction allowed by the segmented path. When the attribute information configured on the sectional path is unidirectional driving, and the mobile robot 10-1 plans the driving route of the mobile robot 10-1, the sectional path is in a state of allowing the passing direction to be available, if the driving route planned by the mobile robot 10-1 includes the sectional path configured with the attribute information of unidirectional driving, the driving direction of the mobile robot 10-1 on the sectional path of the driving route is consistent with the passing direction allowed by the sectional path.

Bidirectional travel is used to characterize that the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to travel in both directions along the segmented path. When the attribute information configured for the segmented path is bidirectional driving, and the mobile robot 10-1 plans the driving route of the mobile robot 10-1, the segmented path is in a fully available state.

Illustratively, the two end points of the segment path are labeled a and B, and if the attribute information of the configuration of the segment path is no-pass, neither the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to move from a to B on the segment path nor the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to move from B to a on the segment path. If the attribute information of the sectional route configuration is one-way travel and the traffic direction is allowed to be a to B, the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to move from a to B on the sectional route, and the mobile robot 10-1 is not allowed to move from B to a on the sectional route. If the attribute information of the segmented path configuration is bidirectional travel, the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to move from a to B on the segmented path, and the mobile robot 10-1 is also allowed to move from B to a on the segmented path.

In one possible implementation, the map of the work area is provided with attribute information of the segment path, and the mobile robot 10-1 reads the attribute information of the segment path from the map.

In another possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 acquires the attribute information of the segment path of the work area by sending a second request message to the other device. The other devices are a mobile robot in which attribute information of a segment path in the work area is stored, or another device in which attribute information of a segment path in the work area is stored, other than the mobile robot 10-1. The other device acquires the attribute information of the segment path of the work area according to the second request message, and transmits the attribute information of the segment path of the work area to the mobile robot 10-1.

It is understood that S101 is mainly used for reference when the mobile robot 10-1 plans the driving route, and after the mobile robot 10-1 determines the driving route, S101 does not need to be repeatedly executed.

S102: the mobile robot 10-1 acquires an initial position and a target position; the traveling area of the mobile robot 10-1 is limited to the work area.

The mobile robot 10-1 obtains the current position where the mobile robot 10-1 is currently located as a start position through a positioning device.

In one possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 obtains the target position through an input device. In one example, the mobile robot 10-1 receives indication information indicating a target position of the mobile robot 10-1. In another example, the input device of the mobile robot 10-1 is a scanner, and the mobile robot 10-1 may scan identification information (e.g., a two-dimensional code, a barcode, etc. attached to a cargo to be carried) indicating a target position through the scanner to obtain the target position of the mobile robot 10-1.

In another possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 reads preset start and target positions.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the execution sequence of S100 to S102 is not limited, and for example, S102 is executed, then S101 is executed, and then S100 is executed.

S103: the mobile robot 10-1 determines a driving route of the mobile robot 10-1 moving from the start position to the target position according to a map corresponding to the working area of the mobile robot 10-1, attribute information of a segment path in the map, a start position of the mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and a target position of the mobile robot 10-1 in the map.

Specifically, the mobile robot 10-1 reads the attribute information of the segment path from the map according to the map corresponding to the working area of the mobile robot 10-1 (for example, the mobile robot 10-1 reads the information of the segment path that the mobile robot is allowed to pass, the segment path of a single line, the segment path that the mobile robot is prohibited from traveling, and the like from the map). The mobile robot 10-1 determines a travel route for the mobile robot 10-1 to move from a start position to a target position based on a map, a segmental path that the mobile robot 10-1 is allowed to pass through, a start position of the mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and the target position of the mobile robot 10-1 in the map. The method for determining the driving route may be any one of a manual potential field method, a cell decomposition method, a random road map (PRM) method, and a rapid-search-tree (RRT) path planning method.

S104: the mobile robot 10-1 synchronizes time with other mobile robots in the work area. Each mobile robot in the work area follows the same travel rules for the same segmented path at the same time.

In one possible implementation, mobile robot 10-1 synchronizes time with other mobile robots in the work area by manually calibrating the time to obtain that the time of each mobile robot in the work area is aligned with the reference time.

In another possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 and other mobile robots in the work area are time synchronized by a reference time in any of the navigation system, the world wide web, or other means (e.g., a terminal device or a server) such that the time of each mobile robot in the work area is aligned with the reference time.

For example, each mobile robot in the working area requests the navigation system to acquire the reference time after every preset time period, and sets the current time in the mobile robot as the reference time after receiving the reference time of the navigation system.

S105: the mobile robot 10-1 moves from the start position to the target position according to the travel route and the travel rule.

Specifically, the mobile robot 10-1 moves on each of the segmental paths in the travel route in accordance with the following steps:

firstly, when the mobile robot 10-1 moves in a working area according to a determined driving route, the current position of the mobile robot 10-1 at the current moment is acquired.

In one possible implementation, the mobile robot 10-1 obtains the current position at the current time according to the positioning device.

In another possible implementation manner, the mobile robot 10-1 determines the current position of the current location in the map at the current time by acquiring the identification information of the current location at the current time.

Step two: the mobile robot 10-1 determines the segment path to which the current position belongs in the map.

Step three: the mobile robot 10-1 acquires a travel rule configured at the current time on the segment path to which the mobile robot belongs. Wherein, the driving rules at different time points for the segmented path are configured on the segmented path in the map.

In one possible implementation, the driving rules may be configured on corresponding segmented paths in the map.

In another possible implementation manner, the driving rule may be stored in a form of a corresponding relationship with the segmented path, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the configuration form of the formal rule configured by the segmented path at the current time.

It is understood that the second step and the third step can be combined and executed in one step, or can be executed in two steps separately.

Step four: the mobile robot 10-1 moves on the segment path according to the acquired travel rule.

There are many driving rules, and two are briefly listed here:

first, if the road width of the segmented path supports at least two mobile robots to travel side by side, the travel rules of the segmented path may instruct the mobile robots to travel on specified sides of the segmented path. For example, when the driving rule is driving to the right, the mobile robot 10-1 moves on the rightmost road in the driving direction of the mobile robot 10-1 in the belonging segment path; when the travel rule is left travel, the mobile robot 10-1 moves on the leftmost road in the travel direction of the mobile robot 10-1 in the segmental path. In this way, the mobile robots traveling in the same direction on the multi-lane segment path travel on the same side of the segment path, and the mobile robots traveling in opposite directions travel on the other side of the segment path, thereby reducing the problem of traveling collision between the mobile robots to some extent.

Further, the driving rules of the segmented path may indicate that mobile robots of different driving directions are at different times on the assigned driving lanes of the segmented path. For example, a certain sectional path having three lanes, the traveling rule of which at time t1 is that a mobile robot whose traveling direction is the first direction travels while occupying

lanes

1 and 2 of the sectional path, and the traveling rule of which at time t2 is that a mobile robot whose traveling direction is the second direction (the second direction is opposite to the first direction) travels while occupying lane 3 of the sectional path, may be changed to that a mobile robot whose traveling direction is the first direction travels while occupying lane 1 of the sectional path, and a mobile robot whose traveling direction is the second direction travels while occupying

lanes

2 and 3 of the sectional path. In practical application, the lane occupation conditions of the mobile robots in different driving directions at different moments on a multi-lane segmented path are specified, so that the road traffic pressure can be relieved to a certain extent.

Secondly, the section path is an intersection of a road, the intersection can be an intersection, a T-junction or other intersection, a driving rule configured at the intersection is used for indicating the passing direction of the intersection at each moment, and the passing direction comprises at least one of straight running, left turning and right turning; the mobile robot 10-1 predicts a traveling direction in which the mobile robot 10-1 moves from a current position to a next position of the traveling route, based on the traveling route; when the driving direction is consistent with the passing direction indicated by the driving rule of the intersection at the current moment, the mobile robot 10-1 moves from the current position to the next position through the intersection; when the travel direction does not coincide with the passage direction indicated by the travel rule at the intersection at the current time, the mobile robot 10-1 suspends the movement until the passage direction indicated by the travel rule at the intersection at the target time coincides with the travel direction. In this way, the intersection requires that only the mobile robot in one direction or a plurality of directions can pass in the same time period, for example, when the mobile robot in the horizontal direction passes, the mobile robot in the vertical direction is prohibited from passing; when the left-turning mobile robot passes, the straight-going mobile robot is forbidden to pass, and the like, so that although the running routes of the mobile robots are intersected, the running conflict problem among the mobile robots can be reduced to a certain extent because the mobile robots are time-synchronized and follow the same running rule at the intersection.

In one example: when the traveling rules arranged at the intersections of the roads shown in fig. 4 are used to instruct the mobile robots in the 1, 4 directions to turn left for traffic, the straight-traveling mobile robots in the 1, 2, 3, 4 directions are prohibited from traffic.

In another example, the driving rule configured at the intersection of the road shown in fig. 4 is to indicate that the first 30 seconds allow only the mobile robots in both 1 and 4 directions to pass through the intersection of the road from the eastern eight regions, eight am and half; the next 30 seconds allows only 2 and 3 directions of mobile robots to pass through the intersection. The mobile robots in the directions of 1 and 4 and the mobile robots in the directions of 2 and 3 alternately pass through the intersection as time goes on. When the mobile robot travels at a road intersection indicated by the direction 1 in fig. 4, if the mobile robots of the directions 1 and 4 are allowed to pass through the road intersection at the current time, the mobile robot 10-1 passes through the road intersection, and if the mobile robots of the directions 1 and 4 are not allowed to pass through the road intersection at the current time, the mobile robot 10-1 stops waiting until the road intersection allows the mobile robot of the direction 1 to pass through the road intersection, and then travels straight through the road intersection.

It is understood that the mobile robot 10-1 follows a traveling rule of a segmental path configuration in a work area, and follows a Nagel-Schreckenberg rule. Some of the above steps may be performed manually instead of the above steps, and such embodiment is also within the scope of the present application.

According to the mobile robot driving method provided by the embodiment of the application, the mobile robot 10-1 drives in the segmented path according to the driving rule when moving in the working area according to the determined driving route, so that the driving conflict among the mobile robots is reduced, and the system cost is reduced. The driving route is determined only by the mobile robot 10-1 according to the map of the working area, the attribute information of the segmented path in the map, the starting position of the mobile robot 10-1 and the target position of the mobile robot 10-1, distributed path planning is achieved, and the starting positions and the target positions of other mobile robots are not required to be included in calculation, so that the hardware configuration requirement of the mobile robot for determining the driving route is lowered, and the cost is saved.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of another mobile robot driving method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 5, the method is applied to a system structure in a mobile robot traveling system II, and may include the steps of:

and S200, the server 10-2 acquires a map of the working area of the mobile robot 10-1. Wherein the map includes a plurality of segmented paths.

In one possible implementation, the server 10-2 obtains the map of the work area by sending a third request message to the other device. The other device may be a mobile robot having a work area in which a map of the work area is stored. The other device acquires the map of the work area according to the third request message and transmits the map of the work area to the server 10-2. The server 10-2 receives the map of the work area transmitted from the other device.

S201, the server 10-2 acquires attribute information of a segmented path in a map of a working area, wherein the attribute information of the segmented path comprises the following steps: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving.

In one possible implementation, the server 10-2 obtains the attribute information of the segment path of the work area by sending a fourth request message to the other device. The other device is a computer device storing attribute information of the segment path of the work area, or the other device is a mobile robot storing attribute information of the segment path of the work area in the work area. The other device acquires the attribute information of the segment path of the work area according to the fourth request message, and transmits the attribute information of the segment path of the work area to the server 10-2.

S202: the server 10-2 acquires the starting position and the target position of the target mobile robot 10-1, wherein the target mobile robot 10-1 is any one of the mobile robots in the mobile robot traveling system II. The travel area of the target mobile robot 10-1 is limited to the work area.

In one possible implementation, the server 10-2 reads a preset start position and a target position of the target mobile robot 10-1.

In another possible implementation, the server 10-2 receives the start position and the target position transmitted by the target mobile robot 10-1. The target mobile robot 10-1 may actively transmit its start position and target position to the server 10-2, and the target mobile robot 10-1 may also transmit the start position and target position to the server 10-2 after receiving a request message for requesting acquisition of the start position and target position transmitted by the server 10-2.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the execution sequence of S200 to S202 is not limited, and for example, S201 is executed after S202 is executed, and then S200 is executed.

S203: the server 10-2 determines a driving route of the target mobile robot 10-1 moving from the start position to the target position according to a map corresponding to the work area of the mobile robot, attribute information of the segment path in the map, a start position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and a target position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map.

The method for determining the driving route of the target mobile robot 10-1 moving from the starting position to the target position by the server 10-2 may be any one of an artificial potential field method, a cell decomposition method, a random road mapping (PRM) method, and a rapid search tree (RRT) route planning method according to a map corresponding to the working area of the target mobile robot 10-1, attribute information of a segment route in the map, the starting position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and the target position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map.

S204: the server 10-2 transmits the travel route of the target mobile robot 10-1 to the target mobile robot 10-1.

S205: the target mobile robot 10-1 moves from the start position to the target position according to the travel route and the travel rule.

Specifically, the target mobile robot 10-1 may execute the steps in S105 in the above embodiment, or execute the steps in S104 to S105 to move from the start position to the target position. And will not be described in detail.

The server 10-2 in the mobile robot driving method provided in the embodiment of the present application only needs to determine the driving route of the target mobile robot 10-1 moving from the starting position to the target position according to the map corresponding to the working area of the mobile robot, the attribute information of the segment path in the map, the starting position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and the target position of the target mobile robot 10-1 in the map, and does not need to refer to the starting positions and the target positions of other mobile robots, thereby reducing the computational complexity of the server 10-2 in planning the driving route of the target mobile robot 10-1, and therefore, the requirement on the hardware configuration of the server 10-2 is low, which is beneficial to reducing the architecture cost of the driving system of the mobile robot. The introduction of the driving rule avoids the driving conflict generated by a plurality of mobile robots in the driving process.

The scheme provided by the embodiment of the application is mainly introduced from the perspective of a method. To implement the above functions, it includes hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the present application is capable of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software implementing the exemplary method steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the mobile robot may be divided into functional modules according to the method example, for example, each functional module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The mobile robot 60 may be used to perform the functions performed by the mobile robot in any of the above embodiments (e.g., the embodiments shown in fig. 3 and 5). The mobile robot 60 includes: an acquisition unit 601, a determination unit 602, and a moving unit 603.

The acquiring unit 601 is configured to acquire a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot 60; wherein the map comprises a plurality of segmented paths; when the mobile robot 60 moves within the work area according to the determined travel route, acquiring a current position of the mobile robot 60 at the current time; a determining unit 602, configured to determine a segment path to which the current position of the mobile robot 60 belongs in the map; the obtaining unit 601 is further configured to obtain a driving rule configured at the current time for the segment path to which the terminal belongs; a moving unit 603, configured to move on the segment path according to the driving rule. For example, in conjunction with fig. 3, the acquisition unit 601 may be used to perform S100 to S102. The determining unit 602 may be configured to perform S103. The mobile unit 603 may be configured to perform S105.

Optionally, the mobile robot 60 further includes: a synchronization unit 604 for synchronizing time with other mobile robots in the work area; each mobile robot in the work area follows the same travel rules for the same segmented path at the same time.

Optionally, the driving route is determined according to a map, attribute information of a segment path in the map, a starting position of the mobile robot 60, and a target position of the mobile robot 60, where the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving.

Optionally, the road width of the corresponding segmented path supports at least two mobile robots to run side by side; the moving unit 603 is specifically configured to: when the driving rule is driving to the right, the mobile robot 60 moves on the rightmost road in the driving direction of the mobile robot 60 in the belonged segmented path; when the driving rule is left driving, the mobile robot 60 moves on the leftmost road in the driving direction of the mobile robot 60 in the belonged segmented path; or, according to the travel route, determining the current travel direction of the mobile robot 60; determining a specified lane to which the mobile robot 60 of the current driving direction indicated by the driving rule is assigned at the current time; the mobile robot 60 travels on a designated lane of the segmented path.

Optionally, the segment path is an intersection of a road, and a driving rule configured at the intersection is used for indicating a passing direction of the intersection at each moment, where the passing direction includes at least one of straight running, left turning and right turning; the mobile robot 60 further includes: a prediction unit 605 configured to predict a driving direction in which the mobile robot 60 moves from the current position to a position next to the driving route, based on the driving route, and the moving unit 603 is specifically configured to: when the driving direction coincides with the passing direction indicated by the driving rule at the current time at the intersection, the mobile robot 60 moves from the current position to the next position through the intersection; when the travel direction does not coincide with the passage direction indicated by the travel rule of the intersection at the current time, the mobile robot 60 suspends the movement until the passage direction indicated by the travel rule of the intersection at the target time coincides with the travel direction.

In one example, referring to fig. 2, the receiving function of the above-mentioned obtaining unit 601 may be implemented by the interface unit 105 in fig. 2. The processing function of the above-described acquisition unit 601, determination unit 602, moving unit 603, synchronization unit 604, and prediction unit 605 may all be implemented by processor 101 in fig. 2 calling a computer program stored in memory 102.

For the detailed description of the above alternative modes, reference is made to the foregoing method embodiments, which are not described herein again. In addition, for the explanation and the description of the beneficial effects of any of the mobile robots 60 provided above, reference may be made to the corresponding method embodiments described above, and details are not repeated.

It should be noted that the actions performed by the modules are only specific examples, and the actions actually performed by the units refer to the actions or steps mentioned in the description of the embodiment based on fig. 3.

In the embodiment of the present application, the server 10-2 may be divided into functional modules according to the above method example, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a server according to an embodiment of the present application. The server 70 may be used to perform the functions performed by the server 10-2 in any of the embodiments described above (e.g., the embodiment shown in fig. 5). The server 70 includes: an acquisition unit 701, a determination unit 702, and a transmission unit 703. Wherein the obtaining unit 701: the method is used for acquiring a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, a starting position of the target mobile robot in the map and a target position of the target mobile robot in the map. Wherein the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving. The determination unit 702: the method comprises the steps of determining a driving route of a target mobile robot moving from a starting position to a target position according to a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, the starting position of the target mobile robot in the map and the target position of the target mobile robot in the map, wherein each mobile robot in the working area follows the same driving rule in the same segmented path at the same time. For example, in conjunction with fig. 5, the acquisition unit 701 may be configured to perform S200 to S202. The determining unit 702 may be configured to perform S203. The sending unit 703 may be configured to execute S204.

In an example, referring to fig. 2, the receiving function of the obtaining unit 701 and the sending function of the sending unit 703 may be implemented by the interface unit 105 in fig. 2. The processing function of the above-described acquisition unit 701 and the determination unit 702 may both be realized by the processor 101 in fig. 2 calling a computer program stored in the memory 102.

For the detailed description of the above alternative modes, reference is made to the foregoing method embodiments, which are not described herein again. In addition, for any explanation and beneficial effect description of the server 70 provided above, reference may be made to the corresponding method embodiment described above, and details are not repeated.

It should be noted that the actions performed by the modules are only specific examples, and the actions actually performed by the units refer to the actions or steps mentioned in the description of the embodiment based on fig. 5.

An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer device, including: a memory and a processor; the memory is for storing a computer program, and the processor is for invoking the computer program to perform the actions or steps mentioned in any of the embodiments provided above.

Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program causes the computer to execute the actions or steps mentioned in any of the embodiments provided above.

The embodiment of the application also provides a chip. The chip has integrated therein circuitry and one or more interfaces for implementing the functions of the mobile robot and/or the server described above. Optionally, the functions supported by the chip may include processing actions in the embodiments described based on fig. 3 or fig. 5, which are not described herein again. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the steps for implementing the above embodiments may be implemented by a program instructing the associated hardware to perform the steps. The program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a random access memory, or the like. The processing unit or processor may be a central processing unit, a general purpose processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor (DSP), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof.

The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions, which when executed on a computer, cause the computer to execute any one of the methods in the above embodiments. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). Computer-readable storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as servers, data centers, and the like, that can be integrated with the media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

The above devices for storing computer instructions or computer programs provided in the embodiments of the present application, such as, but not limited to, the above memories, computer readable storage media, communication chips, and the like, are all nonvolatile (non-volatile).

Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. The specification and drawings are merely exemplary of the application defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the application.

Claims

1. A mobile robot travel method, characterized by comprising:

acquiring a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot; wherein the map comprises a plurality of segmented paths;

when the mobile robot moves in the working area according to the determined driving route, acquiring the current position of the mobile robot at the current moment;

determining a segmented path to which a current location of the mobile robot belongs in the map;

acquiring a running rule configured at the current moment of the corresponding segmented path;

and moving on the corresponding segmented path according to the driving rule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing time with other mobile robots in the work area; each mobile robot in the work area follows the same travel rules at the same time and the same piecewise path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,

the driving route is determined according to the map, the attribute information of the segmented path in the map, the starting position of the mobile robot and the target position of the mobile robot, wherein the attribute information of the segmented path comprises: at least one of no traffic, one-way driving, or two-way driving.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the road width of the belonging segmented path supports at least two mobile robots to travel side by side;

the moving on the segment path according to the driving rule comprises the following steps:

when the driving rule is driving to the right, the mobile robot moves on the rightmost road in the driving direction of the mobile robot in the segmented path to which the mobile robot belongs; when the driving rule is driving to the left, the mobile robot moves on the leftmost road of the driving direction of the mobile robot in the segmented path to which the mobile robot belongs;

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

determining the current driving direction of the mobile robot according to the driving route; determining a specified lane allocated to the mobile robot in the current driving direction indicated by the driving rule at the current moment; the mobile robot travels on the designated lane of a segmented path.

5. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the segmented path is an intersection of roads, and the intersection is configured with a driving rule for indicating a passing direction of the intersection at each moment, wherein the passing direction comprises at least one of straight running, left turning and right turning; the moving on the segment path according to the driving rule comprises the following steps:

predicting a driving direction in which the mobile robot moves from the current position to a next position of the driving route according to the driving route;

when the driving direction is consistent with the passing direction indicated by the driving rule of the intersection at the current moment, the mobile robot moves from the current position to the next position through the intersection;

and when the running direction is inconsistent with the passing direction indicated by the running rule of the intersection at the current moment, the mobile robot stops moving until the passing direction indicated by the running rule of the intersection at the target moment is consistent with the running direction.

6. A mobile robot, comprising:

the mobile robot comprises an acquisition unit, a processing unit and a control unit, wherein the acquisition unit is used for acquiring a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot; wherein the map comprises a plurality of segmented paths; when the mobile robot moves in the working area according to the determined driving route, acquiring the current position of the mobile robot at the current moment;

a determination unit configured to determine a segment path to which a current position of the mobile robot belongs in the map;

the obtaining unit is further configured to obtain a driving rule configured at the current moment of the segment path to which the segment path belongs;

and the moving unit is used for moving on the corresponding segmented path according to the driving rule.

7. The mobile robot of claim 6, further comprising:

a synchronization unit for synchronizing time with other mobile robots in the work area; each mobile robot in the work area follows the same travel rules at the same time and the same piecewise path.

8. Mobile robot as claimed in claim 6 or 7,

9. A mobile robot as claimed in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the road width of the said segmented path supports at least two mobile robots to travel side by side;

the mobile unit is specifically configured to:

alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

10. The mobile robot of claim 6 or 7, wherein the segmented path is an intersection of roads, and the intersection is configured with driving rules for indicating a traffic direction at each time of the intersection, and the traffic direction comprises at least one of straight running, left turning and right turning; the mobile robot further includes:

a prediction unit configured to predict a travel direction in which the mobile robot moves from the current position to a position next to the travel route, based on the travel route;

the mobile unit is specifically configured to:

11. A mobile robot travel system characterized by comprising a plurality of mobile robots each for:

determining a driving route of the mobile robot moving from the initial position to the target position according to a map corresponding to a working area of the mobile robot, attribute information of a segmented path in the map, the initial position of the mobile robot in the map and the target position of the mobile robot in the map; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; and performing the method of any one of claims 1-5 to move from the starting position to a target position.

12. A mobile robot travel system characterized by comprising a server and a plurality of mobile robots;

the server is configured to:

acquiring an initial position of a target mobile robot, a target position of the target mobile robot and attribute information of a segmented path in a map corresponding to a working area of the target mobile robot; the attribute information of the segment path includes: at least one of no passage, one-way driving or two-way driving; the target mobile robot is any one of the plurality of mobile robots;

determining a driving route of the target mobile robot moving from the starting position to the target position according to the starting position of the target mobile robot, the target position of the target mobile robot, the map and the attribute information of the segmented path;

transmitting the driving route to the target mobile robot;

the target mobile robot is configured to receive the travel route and perform the method of any one of claims 1-5 to move from the starting location to the target location.

13. A mobile robot, comprising: a memory for storing a computer program and a processor for executing the computer program to perform the method of any one of claims 1-5.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1-5.