CN112190187B

CN112190187B - Control method and device for self-moving robot and self-moving robot

Info

Publication number: CN112190187B
Application number: CN202011065770.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 缪昭侠; 唐玲斌
Original assignee: Shenzhen Silver Star Intelligent Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Silver Star Intelligent Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-30
Filing date: 2020-09-30
Publication date: 2021-10-29
Anticipated expiration: 2040-09-30
Also published as: CN112190187A

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, and discloses a control method and a control device of a self-moving robot and the self-moving robot, which are used for quickly identifying an obstacle blocking a cliff sensor and avoiding continuous reporting abnormality of the cliff sensor. The control method of the self-moving robot comprises the following steps: controlling a drive wheel to move from the mobile robot to a first position; obtaining a first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal; obtaining a second signal acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; and determining whether the operating states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

Description

Control method and device for self-moving robot and self-moving robot

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of robots, in particular to a control method and device of a self-moving robot and the self-moving robot.

Background

For the self-moving robot, in order to avoid falling of stairs, a plurality of cliff sensors are arranged at the bottom of the self-moving robot, and the cliff sensors can identify whether a ground area is a suspended area or a flat ground; the cliff sensor can detect a range of a certain height, and the normal working height is calibrated and identified to be generally 1.5-6cm according to the height of the machine body; an abnormality outside this range may be caused by an external cause such as detection of an area in suspension, or an abnormality in the operating state of the cliff sensor itself, for example, the cliff sensor may be shielded by a light obstacle such as paper dust, dirt, tape, or plastic sheet, or the cliff sensor may be damaged.

At present, a self-moving robot is not intelligent enough, the reason that a cliff sensor acquires an abnormal signal cannot be judged to be the cliff or the self-reason, and stress retreating is basically performed firstly for processing the detected abnormality.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a control method and a control device of a self-moving robot and the self-moving robot, which are used for intelligently identifying whether the working state of a cliff sensor is abnormal or not so as to control the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

A first aspect of embodiments of the present invention provides a control method for a self-moving robot, the self-moving robot including a body, a driving wheel and a plurality of cliff sensors, the driving wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors being mounted on the body, the driving wheel being configured to drive the body to move on a surface to be cleaned, the control method including: controlling the driving wheels to drive the mobile robot to move to a first position; obtaining a first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal; obtaining a second signal acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; and determining whether the working state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

Optionally, in a first implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition includes: if one or more of the cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality; and if the position distribution is judged to meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to continue to operate, and if the position distribution is judged to not meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to stop operating and outputting prompt information.

Optionally, in a second implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position according to the abnormal signal includes: and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position for a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

Optionally, in a third implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining, according to the first signal and the second signal, whether an operating state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal includes: and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, determining that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is determined to be an abnormal signal and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is determined to be a normal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

Optionally, in a fourth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining whether an operating state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal includes: and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, determining that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is determined to be an abnormal signal and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is determined to be a normal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

Optionally, in a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle includes: and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal and the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, acquiring a first position mark of the first cliff sensor and a second position mark of the second cliff sensor, determining a preset angle according to the first position mark and the second position mark, and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate at the original position at the second position by the preset angle.

Optionally, in a sixth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining whether an operating state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal includes: if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be a normal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are both determined to be in a normal working state; and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be an abnormal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be a normal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state and the second cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

Optionally, in a seventh implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling an operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition further includes: if one or more cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality, acquiring a preset cleaning path and a preset map, marking a searched area and a cliff area on the preset map, and judging whether a continuous operation condition is met or not according to the preset cleaning path, the searched area and the cliff area in the preset map and the position distribution.

Optionally, in an eighth implementation manner of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes: and if the condition of continuous operation is met, closing the cliff sensor in the abnormal working state, and/or reducing the moving speed of the self-moving robot to the target speed.

A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a self-moving robot, including a body, a driving wheel, a plurality of cliff sensors and a controller, the driving wheel, the plurality of cliff sensors and the controller being mounted on the body, the driving wheel being configured to drive the body to move on a surface to be cleaned, the controller being electrically connected to the driving wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors, when the self-moving robot moves to a first position on the surface to be cleaned, at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors collects a first signal at the first position and sends the first signal to the controller; if the controller judges that the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, the controller controls the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal; at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors acquiring a second signal at a second location and sending the second signal to the controller; the controller determines whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal or not based on the first signal and the second signal, and controls the operating state of the self-moving robot based on the abnormal condition.

Optionally, in a first implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition includes: if the controller determines that one or more of the cliff sensors are in an abnormal working state, the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality is determined, if the controller determines that the position distribution meets a preset position condition, the self-moving robot is controlled to continue to operate, and if the controller determines that the position distribution does not meet the preset position condition, the self-moving robot is controlled to stop operating and output prompt information.

Optionally, in a second implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling, by the controller, the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position according to the abnormal signal includes: and the controller controls the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

Optionally, in a third implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining, by the controller, whether an operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal includes: if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is a normal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

Alternatively, in a fourth implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position based on the abnormality signal includes: the controller controls the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal; and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in situ at the second position by a preset angle.

Optionally, in a fifth implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle includes: if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal and the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, the controller acquires a first position mark of the first cliff sensor and a second position mark of the second cliff sensor, determines a preset angle according to the first position mark and the second position mark, and controls the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in situ at the second position by the preset angle.

Optionally, in a sixth implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the determining, by the controller, whether an operating state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal includes: if the controller judges that a first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at a first position is an abnormal signal, a first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, a second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at a second position is a normal signal, and a second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is an abnormal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are both in a normal working state; if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is an abnormal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is a normal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state and the second cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

Optionally, in a seventh implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, the controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition further includes: and if the controller determines that one or more of the cliff sensors are in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality, acquiring a preset cleaning path and a preset map by the controller, marking a searched area and a cliff area on the preset map, and judging whether a continuous operation condition is met by the controller according to the preset cleaning path, the searched area and the cliff area in the preset map and the position distribution.

Optionally, in an eighth implementation manner of the second aspect of the embodiment of the present invention, if the controller determines that the condition for continuing the operation is satisfied, the cliff sensor in the abnormal operating state is turned off, and/or the moving speed of the self-moving robot is reduced to the target speed.

A third aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a control apparatus for a self-moving robot including a body, a driving wheel, and a plurality of cliff sensors, the driving wheel and the cliff sensors being mounted to the body, the driving wheel being configured to drive the body to move on a surface to be cleaned, the control apparatus comprising: the control module is used for controlling the driving wheels to drive the mobile robot to move to a first position; the system comprises a first acquisition module, a second acquisition module and a third acquisition module, wherein the first acquisition module is used for acquiring a first signal acquired by at least one cliff sensor of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a first position; the driving module is used for controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal if the first signal is judged to comprise the abnormal signal; a second acquisition module for acquiring a second signal acquired from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a second location; and the determining control module is used for determining whether the working states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal and controlling the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal conditions.

In the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the invention, the driving wheels are controlled to drive the mobile robot to move to the first position; obtaining a first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal; obtaining a second signal acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot; and determining whether the operating states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition. The embodiment of the invention can intelligently identify whether the working state of the cliff sensor is abnormal or not, and if the working state of the cliff sensor is abnormal, the running state of the self-moving robot is controlled according to the abnormal condition, so that the condition that the normal running of the robot is influenced by continuous error reporting caused by self damage of the cliff sensor or shielding of light obstacles such as paper mass, hair, dust, adhesive tapes or plastic sheets and the like is avoided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a control method of a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a control method of a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cliff sensor arrangement in a self-moving robot in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is another schematic illustration of a cliff sensor arrangement of a self-moving robot in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a self-moving robot in an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a control device of a self-moving robot according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The invention provides a control method and a control device of a self-moving robot and the self-moving robot, which are used for intelligently identifying whether the working state of a cliff sensor is abnormal or not so as to control the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition. .

In order to make the technical field of the invention better understand the scheme of the invention, the embodiment of the invention will be described in conjunction with the attached drawings in the embodiment of the invention.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, as well as in the drawings, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It will be appreciated that the data so used may be interchanged under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments described herein may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, such that a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not necessarily limited to those steps or elements expressly listed, but may include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Referring to fig. 1, a flowchart of a control method for a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown,

the embodiment of the invention provides a control method of a self-moving robot, wherein the self-moving robot comprises a body, a driving wheel, a plurality of cliff sensors and a controller. The driving wheel and the cliff sensors are both arranged on the body, and the driving wheel is used for driving the body to move on the surface to be cleaned. It is to be understood that the self-moving robot may be any one of a cleaning robot, a transfer robot, or a patrol robot. The cleaning robot can be any one of a sweeping robot, a sweeping and mopping integrated robot, a mopping robot or a mopping robot and the like

Wherein the body is a main body part of the self-moving robot. The body can be in any one of a circular structure, a D-shaped structure or a rectangular structure, and the specific shape and structure can be set by a person skilled in the art according to actual needs. The self-moving robot comprises a pair of driving wheels, the pair of driving wheels are arranged on the body and extend out of the lower surface of the body, and the pair of driving wheels are used for driving the body to move on the ground. The cliff sensors are distributed on the periphery of the lower surface of the body, and the cliff sensors are located on one side, close to the ground, of the body. The plurality of cliff sensors may detect a suspended area (an area having a height difference from a walking surface on which the self-moving robot is located). The controller electrically connects the drive wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors. When a suspended area appears below the self-moving robot, at least one of the cliff sensors can acquire an abnormal signal, and the controller can timely control the self-moving robot to stop advancing, so that the self-moving robot is prevented from falling in the suspended area. In addition, the operating state of the cliff sensor itself is abnormal, for example, the cliff sensor itself is damaged, or a light obstacle such as paper mass, hair, dust, adhesive tape or plastic sheet may be attached to one or more of the cliff sensors, and may cause the cliff sensor to continuously acquire an abnormal signal. The control method provided by the embodiment can realize intelligent recognition of whether the working state of the cliff sensor per se is abnormal or not, so as to control the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

The control method comprises the following steps:

101. the drive wheel is controlled to move from the mobile robot to the first position.

The controller controls the drive wheel to move from the mobile robot to the first position. In some embodiments, the control unit 11 may be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a single chip, an arm (acorn RISC machine) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of these components. Also, the control unit 11 may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The control unit 11 may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP, and/or any other such configuration.

The controller controls the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to move towards a preset direction, and the first position is a current position reached by the mobile robot in the moving process. For example, at time t1, when the mobile robot moves to position a, position a is the first position; at time t2, the mobile robot moves to position B, and position B is the second position.

102. A first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot is obtained.

The controller obtains a first signal acquired from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a first location. Wherein, the first position is the position where the self-moving robot is located. When the self-moving robot is at the first position, each cliff sensor collects signals of the current position, namely first signals, and the number of the first signals is the same as that of the cliff sensors. The embodiment of the present invention will be described taking an example of an abnormality in a cliff sensor.

103. And if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

Specifically, if the first signal includes an abnormal signal, the controller controls the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal. When the first signal is judged to comprise an abnormal signal, a suspension area possibly appears from the position where the mobile robot is located, and the abnormal signal of the corresponding cliff area is collected from one or more of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot.

When a first signal acquired by at least one cliff sensor (including the first cliff sensor) at a first position is an abnormal signal, the controller marks the position of the cliff sensor acquiring the abnormal signal. The number of cliff sensors that acquire an abnormality signal at the first position may be one or two or more. For example, when the first cliff sensor detects an abnormality at the first position, the controller marks the position of the first cliff sensor and records the first cliff sensor.

The abnormal signal is probably caused by a suspended area or the working state of the cliff sensor, but the driving wheel is controlled to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by the driving wheel according to the abnormal signal, so that on one hand, the self-moving robot can be ensured to be far away from the suspended area which possibly exists, and the falling can be avoided; on the other hand, the signals collected by the cliff sensor at other positions are judged again conveniently in the subsequent steps, whether the working state of the cliff sensor is abnormal or not is intelligently identified, and the abnormal working state of the cliff sensor comprises the following steps: the cliff sensors themselves are damaged or light obstacles such as paper wads, hairs, dust, adhesive tape or plastic pieces may adhere to one or more of the cliff sensors.

And controlling the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to retreat from the first position to a second position in a direction opposite to the preset direction by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal, wherein the second position is a position which the mobile robot passes before, and the second position has no suspension area and can be used as a safety position for verifying whether the cliff sensor is abnormal.

104. Second signals acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot are obtained.

The controller obtains a second signal acquired from at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot (including the first cliff sensor) at a second location. And the second position is the position of the self-moving robot. When the self-moving robot is at the second position, each cliff sensor collects signals of the current position, namely second signals, and the number of the second signals is the same as that of the cliff sensors.

105. And determining whether the operating states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

The controller determines whether the operating states of the plurality of cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controls the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition. Specifically, if the controller judges that a first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and a second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and can determine that the first cliff sensor is damaged or light obstacles such as paper masses, hairs, dust, adhesive tapes or plastic sheets are possibly attached to the first cliff sensor, so that the first cliff sensor acquires the abnormal signals at the first position and the second position; if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second position is judged to be a normal signal, the first cliff sensor is determined to be in a normal working state, the first cliff sensor can be determined to be in a normal working state, the first cliff sensor acquires the abnormal signal due to the fact that a suspended area exists at the first position, and the second position does not have the suspended area, so that the first cliff sensor does not acquire the abnormal signal.

In some embodiments, controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal situation includes:

and if one or more of the cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, closing the corresponding cliff sensor or sensors, avoiding the situation that the self-moving robot is stopped by mistake due to the fact that the cliff sensor or sensors continuously acquire abnormal signals, and continuing to operate.

if one or more of the cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality; and if the position distribution is judged to meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to continue to operate, and if the position distribution is judged to not meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to stop operating and outputting prompt information.

Wherein the preset position condition may be: the cliff sensors without abnormality comprise at least three cliff sensors which are respectively positioned at the front end, the left side and the right side of the self-moving robot; or the cliff sensors without abnormality comprise at least two cliff sensors which are respectively positioned at the front end and the left side of the self-moving robot; alternatively, the cliff sensors in which no abnormality occurs include at least two cliff sensors respectively located at the front end and the right side of the self-moving robot.

The prompt message may include any one or more of text message, voice message, light message, and the like. For example, the self-moving robot can broadcast the prompt information through a voice module, wherein the prompt information is voice information; or, the self-moving robot can send the prompt message to the user terminal through the network, and the prompt message can be a text message or a voice message, so that the text message or the voice message is broadcasted on the user terminal to prompt the user; alternatively, the prompt message may be formed by light emitted from a prompt lamp on the mobile robot, and the prompt message may be light message.

When the cliff sensor detects an abnormality, it is necessary to determine whether the cliff sensor gives an alarm because the cliff sensor detects an empty area or gives an alarm because the cliff sensor works abnormally, and therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is determined whether the cliff sensor is blocked by a light obstacle such as paper mass, hair, dust, a tape, or a plastic sheet (i.e., it is determined whether the cliff sensor works abnormally) by a plurality of detections, and if the determination result is negative, the user is prompted to clean the self-moving robot, and if the determination result is positive, the abnormal cliff sensor is shielded, cleaning is continued according to the blocking condition, and after cleaning is completed, the user is prompted to clean the self-moving robot.

In some embodiments, controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal situation further includes: if one or more cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality, acquiring a preset cleaning path and a preset map, marking a searched area on the preset map, and judging whether a continuous operation condition is met according to the preset cleaning path, the searched area in the preset map and the position distribution.

Judging whether the continuous operation condition is met according to the preset cleaning path, the explored area and the cliff area in the preset map and the position distribution, wherein the judging step comprises the following steps:

judging whether the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality meets a preset position condition and judging whether a preset cleaning path is located in an explored area in a preset map;

if so, the self-moving robot can continue to operate when the continuous operation condition is met.

Wherein the preset position condition is as follows: the cliff sensors without abnormality comprise at least three cliff sensors which are respectively positioned at the front end, the left side and the right side of the self-moving robot; or the cliff sensors without abnormality comprise at least two cliff sensors which are respectively positioned at the front end and the left side of the self-moving robot; alternatively, the cliff sensors in which no abnormality occurs include at least two cliff sensors respectively located at the front end and the right side of the self-moving robot.

Optionally, the preset map is further marked with a cliff area located in the explored area, and the cliff area can be actively avoided when the self-moving robot moves in the explored area.

Optionally, after determining whether a continuous operation condition is met according to the preset cleaning path, the explored area and the cliff area in the preset map, and the position distribution, the method further includes:

and if the condition of continuous operation is judged to be met, closing the cliff sensor in the abnormal working state, and/or reducing the moving speed of the self-moving robot to the target speed.

It should be noted that the target speed is lower than the speed before adjustment, the moving speed of the self-moving robot is reduced, and the self-moving robot can be ensured to walk at a safe speed, so as to increase the total time of the self-moving robot in judging the site conditions and improve the accuracy of the judgment result.

Referring to fig. 2, another flowchart of a control method for a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention specifically includes:

201. the drive wheel is controlled to move from the mobile robot to the first position.

202. A first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot is obtained.

The controller obtains a first signal acquired from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a first location. Wherein, the first position is the position where the self-moving robot is located. When the self-moving robot is at the first position, each cliff sensor collects signals of the current position, namely first signals, and the number of the first signals is the same as that of the cliff sensors. The embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking an example of abnormality of two cliff sensors.

203. And if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

Specifically, if the first signal includes an abnormal signal, the controller controls the driving wheel to drive the mobile robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal. When the first signal is judged to comprise an abnormal signal, a suspension area possibly appears from the position where the mobile robot is located, and the abnormal signal of the corresponding cliff area is collected from one or more of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot. The preset distance may be set according to an actual situation, and is not limited herein.

The abnormal signal is probably caused by a suspended area or the working state of the cliff sensor, but the driving wheel is controlled to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by the driving wheel according to the abnormal signal, so that on one hand, the self-moving robot can be ensured to be far away from the suspended area which possibly exists, and the falling can be avoided; on the other hand, the signals acquired by the cliff sensors at other positions are judged again conveniently in the subsequent steps, and whether the working state of the cliff sensors is abnormal or not is intelligently identified, namely the cliff sensors are damaged or light obstacles such as paper masses, hairs, dust, adhesive tapes or plastic sheets are possibly attached to one or more of the cliff sensors.

204. And controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in situ at a preset angle at the second position.

In this embodiment, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle includes: and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal and the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, acquiring a first position mark of the first cliff sensor and a second position mark of the second cliff sensor, determining a preset angle according to the first position mark and the second position mark, and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate at the original position at the second position by the preset angle.

It will be appreciated that the self-moving robot has stored in advance position markers for all cliff sensors, and preset angles associated with the position markers for any two cliff sensors. The first position mark and the second position mark indicate positions of the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor on the self-moving robot, respectively, the first cliff sensor may be a front end, a left side, or a right side of the self-moving robot, and the second cliff sensor may be a front end, a left side, or a right side of the self-moving robot. A connecting line between the first position mark and the center of the self-moving robot is a first connecting line, a connecting line between the second position mark and the center of the self-moving robot is a second connecting line, the first connecting line and the second connecting line are arranged at an included angle, and the included angle between the first connecting line and the second connecting line is used as a preset angle theta 1 associated with the position mark of the first cliff sensor and the position mark of the second cliff sensor, and is specifically shown in fig. 3.

And the control driving wheel drives the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, namely before the self-moving robot rotates by the preset angle, the position of the first cliff sensor is D1, the position of the second cliff sensor is D2, and the positions D1 and D2 are the positions of the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor relative to the ground respectively.

In some embodiments, after rotating a preset angle, the first cliff sensor may rotate to position D2 along with the self-moving robot, and if the signal collected by the first cliff sensor is still an abnormal signal, it may be determined that the working state of the first cliff sensor itself is abnormal, regardless of whether a suspended area occurs on the ground; if the signal collected by the first cliff sensor is changed from the abnormal signal to the normal signal, it can be determined that the working state of the first cliff sensor is normal, and the reason that the abnormal signal is collected by the first cliff sensor is that the ground is in a suspension area.

In some embodiments, after the preset angle is rotated, the second cliff sensor may rotate to a position D1 along with the self-moving robot, and the second cliff sensor, as a sensor without abnormality, may assist in determining whether the working state of the first cliff sensor is abnormal, and if the signal collected by the second cliff sensor is still a normal signal, it may be determined that the working state of the first cliff sensor itself is abnormal, regardless of whether a suspended area occurs on the ground; if the signal collected by the second cliff sensor is changed from a normal signal to an abnormal signal, the working state of the first cliff sensor can be determined to be normal, and the reason that the abnormal signal is collected by the first cliff sensor is that the ground is in a suspension area.

For example, when there are first signals collected by two cliff sensors (a first cliff sensor and a second cliff sensor) at a first position and both of them are abnormal signals, that is, when the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor detect an abnormality at the first position, the positions of the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are marked and recorded as a first mark position of the first cliff sensor and a second mark position of the second cliff sensor, respectively. And determining a preset angle according to the first mark position, the second mark position and the central point of the self-moving robot. Controlling the self-moving robot to retreat to the second position and rotate by a preset angle theta₂So that the third cliff sensor (and the second cliff sensor) returns to the first positionA cliff sensor adjacent to the cliff sensor and not detecting an abnormality) is at the first mark position, as shown in fig. 4 in particular.

It should be noted that, if both cliff sensors detect an abnormality, it may be determined in sequence whether both cliff sensors are operating normally.

In other embodiments, the preset angle may be a preset fixed angle value, the preset angle may be any one of 10 °, 20 °, 30 ° or 40 °, and the preset angle may be freely set according to actual needs.

205. Second signals acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot are obtained.

The controller obtains a second signal acquired from at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a second location. And the second position is the position where the mobile robot is located after retreating for a preset distance. When the self-moving robot is at the second position, each cliff sensor collects signals of the current position, namely second signals, and the number of the second signals is the same as that of the cliff sensors.

206. And determining whether the operating states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

If the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be a normal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are both determined to be in a normal working state;

and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be an abnormal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is judged to be a normal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state and the second cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

It will be appreciated that after a preset angle of rotation, the first cliff sensor may be rotated with the self-moving robot to position D2, or the second cliff sensor may be rotated with the self-moving robot to position D1.

For example, after rotating a preset angle, the first cliff sensor may rotate with the self-moving robot to position D2. If the signal acquired by the first cliff sensor is still an abnormal signal and the signal acquired by the second cliff sensor is still a normal signal, the working state of the first cliff sensor can be determined to be abnormal, and the working state of the second cliff sensor is normal regardless of whether a suspended area appears on the ground. And if the signal acquired by the first cliff sensor is changed from the abnormal signal to the normal signal and the signal acquired by the second cliff sensor is changed from the normal signal to the abnormal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are in a normal working state.

For example, after rotating a preset angle, the second cliff sensor may rotate with the self-moving robot to position D1. If the signal acquired by the first cliff sensor is still an abnormal signal and the signal acquired by the second cliff sensor is still a normal signal, the working state of the first cliff sensor can be determined to be abnormal, and the working state of the second cliff sensor is normal regardless of whether a suspended area appears on the ground. And if the signal acquired by the first cliff sensor is changed from the abnormal signal to the normal signal and the signal acquired by the second cliff sensor is changed from the normal signal to the abnormal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are in a normal working state.

An abnormal operating state of the first cliff sensor includes a situation in which the first cliff sensor itself is damaged, or a light obstacle such as paper mass, hair, dust, tape, or plastic sheet may be attached to the first cliff sensor.

The controller determines whether the operating states of the plurality of cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal, and controls the operating state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a self-moving robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention, where the self-moving robot 500 includes a body 501, a driving wheel 502, a plurality of cliff sensors 503, and a controller 504, where the driving wheel 502, the plurality of cliff sensors 503, and the controller 504 are all mounted on the body, the driving wheel 502 is used for driving the body 501 to move on a surface to be cleaned, the controller 504 is electrically connected to the driving wheel 502 and the plurality of cliff sensors 503,

at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors acquiring a first signal at a first location and sending the first signal to the controller when the self-moving robot moves to the first location on the surface to be cleaned;

if the controller judges that the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, the controller controls the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal;

at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors acquiring a second signal at a second location and sending the second signal to the controller;

the controller determines whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal or not based on the first signal and the second signal, and controls the operating state of the self-moving robot based on the abnormal condition.

In one possible embodiment, the controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal situation includes:

if the controller determines that one or more of the cliff sensors are in an abnormal working state, the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality is determined, if the controller determines that the position distribution meets a preset position condition, the self-moving robot is controlled to continue to operate, and if the controller determines that the position distribution does not meet the preset position condition, the self-moving robot is controlled to stop operating and output prompt information.

In one possible embodiment, the plurality of cliff sensors includes a first cliff sensor, and the controller controls the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position according to the abnormality signal, including:

and the controller controls the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

In one possible embodiment, the determining, by the controller, whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal based on the first signal and the second signal includes:

if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is a normal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

In one possible embodiment, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position based on the abnormality signal includes:

the controller controls the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal;

and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in situ at the second position by a preset angle.

In a possible embodiment, the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle includes:

if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal and the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, the controller acquires a first position mark of the first cliff sensor and a second position mark of the second cliff sensor, determines a preset angle according to the first position mark and the second position mark, and controls the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in situ at the second position by the preset angle.

if the controller judges that a first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at a first position is an abnormal signal, a first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, a second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at a second position is a normal signal, and a second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is an abnormal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor and the second cliff sensor are both in a normal working state;

if the controller judges that the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is an abnormal signal, the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is a normal signal, the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is an abnormal signal, and the second signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the second position is a normal signal, the controller determines that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state and the second cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

In a possible embodiment, the controlling the operation state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition further includes:

and if the controller determines that one or more of the cliff sensors are in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality, acquiring a preset cleaning path and a preset map by the controller, marking a searched area and a cliff area on the preset map, and judging whether a continuous operation condition is met by the controller according to the preset cleaning path, the searched area and the cliff area in the preset map and the position distribution.

In one possible embodiment, if the controller determines that the condition for continuing the operation is satisfied, the cliff sensor in the abnormal operation state is turned off, and/or the moving speed of the self-moving robot is reduced to a target speed.

The self-moving robot 500 may also include one or more power supplies, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces, one or more input-output interfaces, and/or one or more operating systems, such as Windows Server, Mac OS X, Unix, Linux, FreeBSD, and the like. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the self-moving robot configuration shown in fig. 5 does not constitute a limitation of a self-moving robot and may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components in combination, or a different arrangement of components.

Referring to fig. 6, an embodiment of a control device for a self-moving robot according to an embodiment of the present invention includes:

the self-moving robot comprises a body, a driving wheel and a plurality of cliff sensors, wherein the driving wheel and the cliff sensors are both arranged on the body, the driving wheel is used for driving the body to move on a surface to be cleaned, and a control device of the self-moving robot comprises:

the control module 601 is used for controlling the driving wheels to drive the mobile robot to move to a first position;

a first acquisition module 602 for acquiring a first signal acquired from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a first location;

the driving module 603 is configured to control the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal if it is determined that the first signal includes the abnormal signal;

a second acquisition module 604 for acquiring a second signal acquired from at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a second location;

and a determination control module 605 for determining whether the working states of the plurality of cliff sensors are abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition.

According to the embodiment of the invention, whether the working state of the cliff sensor is abnormal or not is intelligently identified according to the shielding condition of the cliff sensor, so that the running state of the self-moving robot is controlled according to the abnormal condition, the cliff sensor is prevented from continuously reporting the abnormality, and the working efficiency of the self-moving robot is improved.

In some embodiments, the determination control module 605 is further configured to: if one or more of the cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality;

and if the position distribution is judged to meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to continue to operate, and if the position distribution is judged to not meet the preset position condition, controlling the self-moving robot to stop operating and outputting prompt information.

In some embodiments, the second obtaining module 604 is further configured to: and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position for a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

In some embodiments, the determination control module 605 is further configured to:

and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position are both abnormal signals, determining that the first cliff sensor is in an abnormal working state, and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is determined to be an abnormal signal and the second signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the second position is determined to be a normal signal, determining that the first cliff sensor is in a normal working state.

In some embodiments, the second obtaining module 604 is further configured to:

controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position by a preset distance according to the abnormal signal;

In some embodiments, the driving module 603 is further configured to:

and if the first signal acquired by the first cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be an abnormal signal and the first signal acquired by the second cliff sensor at the first position is judged to be a normal signal, acquiring a first position mark of the first cliff sensor and a second position mark of the second cliff sensor, determining a preset angle according to the first position mark and the second position mark, and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to rotate at the original position at the second position by the preset angle.

if one or more cliff sensors are determined to be in an abnormal working state, determining the position distribution of the cliff sensors without abnormality, acquiring a preset cleaning path and a preset map, marking a searched area and a cliff area on the preset map, and judging whether a continuous operation condition is met or not according to the preset cleaning path, the searched area and the cliff area in the preset map and the position distribution.

and if the condition of continuous operation is met, closing the cliff sensor in the abnormal working state, and/or reducing the moving speed of the self-moving robot to the target speed.

The above-mentioned embodiments are only used for illustrating the technical solutions of the present invention, and not for limiting the same; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a self-moving robot, the self-moving robot comprising a body, a drive wheel and a plurality of cliff sensors, the drive wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors each being mounted to the body, the drive wheel being for driving the body across a surface to be cleaned, the method comprising:

controlling the driving wheels to drive the mobile robot to move to a first position;

obtaining a first signal acquired at a first location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot;

if the first signal comprises an abnormal signal, controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal;

obtaining a second signal acquired at a second location from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot;

determining whether the working state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal, and controlling the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition;

the control of the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition comprises the following steps:

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormality signal includes:

and controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to retreat from the first position to the second position for a preset distance according to the abnormal signal.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of cliff sensors includes a first cliff sensor, and wherein the determining whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal based on the first signal and the second signal includes:

4. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cliff sensors include a first cliff sensor and a second cliff sensor, and the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to move to the second position based on the abnormality signal includes:

5. The control method according to claim 4, wherein the controlling the driving wheels to drive the self-moving robot to rotate in place at the second position by a preset angle comprises:

6. The control method according to claim 4, wherein the determining whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal based on the first signal and the second signal comprises:

7. The control method according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising:

8. A self-moving robot, comprising a body, a drive wheel, a plurality of cliff sensors and a controller, wherein the drive wheel, the plurality of cliff sensors and the controller are all mounted on the body, the drive wheel is used for driving the body to move on a surface to be cleaned, the controller is electrically connected with the drive wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors,

the controller determines whether the working state of at least one of the cliff sensors is abnormal according to the first signal and the second signal, and controls the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal condition;

9. The self-propelled robot of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the drive wheels to drive the self-propelled robot to move to a second position in response to the anomaly signal, comprising:

10. The self-moving robot of claim 9, wherein the plurality of cliff sensors includes a first cliff sensor, and wherein the controller determines whether an operating condition of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal based on the first signal and the second signal comprises:

11. The self-propelled robot of claim 8, wherein the plurality of cliff sensors includes a first cliff sensor and a second cliff sensor, and wherein the controlling the drive wheels to drive the self-propelled robot to move to a second position based on the anomaly signal comprises:

12. The self-propelled robot of claim 11, wherein the controlling the drive wheels to drive the self-propelled robot to pivot in the second position by a predetermined angle comprises:

13. The self-moving robot of claim 12, wherein the controller determining whether the operating state of at least one of the plurality of cliff sensors is abnormal based on the first signal and the second signal comprises:

14. The self-moving robot according to claim 8, wherein if the controller determines that the condition for continuing the operation is satisfied, the cliff sensor in the abnormal operation state is turned off and/or the moving speed of the self-moving robot is reduced to a target speed.

15. A control apparatus for a self-moving robot, the self-moving robot comprising a body, a drive wheel and a plurality of cliff sensors, the drive wheel and the plurality of cliff sensors each being mounted to the body, the drive wheel being configured to drive the body across a surface to be cleaned, the control apparatus comprising:

the control module is used for controlling the driving wheels to drive the mobile robot to move to a first position;

the system comprises a first acquisition module, a second acquisition module and a third acquisition module, wherein the first acquisition module is used for acquiring a first signal acquired by at least one cliff sensor of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a first position;

the driving module is used for controlling the driving wheel to drive the self-moving robot to move to a second position according to the abnormal signal if the first signal is judged to comprise the abnormal signal;

a second acquisition module for acquiring a second signal acquired from at least one of a plurality of cliff sensors of the mobile robot at a second location;

the determining control module is used for determining whether the working states of the cliff sensors are abnormal or not according to the first signal and the second signal and controlling the running state of the self-moving robot according to the abnormal conditions;