CN115167415A - Cleaning robot path planning method and device, server and cleaning robot - Google Patents

Abstract

The application discloses a path planning method and device of a cleaning robot, a server and the cleaning robot. The path planning method comprises the following steps: receiving an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot; acquiring the current position of the cleaning robot and a map of a cleaning area where the cleaning robot is located, and recording a plurality of sub cleaning areas and access nodes of the sub cleaning areas on the map; determining the shortest path among a plurality of paths from the current position of the cleaning robot to the entrance node and the exit node of the candidate sub-cleaning area through the entrance node and the exit node of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is located, wherein the candidate sub-cleaning area is a sub-cleaning area to be cleaned, which is adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is located; and sending the shortest path to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operation according to the shortest path. The method and the device can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot, and improve the flexibility of path planning of the cleaning robot, so that the working efficiency of the cleaning robot is improved.

Description

Path planning method and device for cleaning robot, server and cleaning robot

technical field

The present application relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a path planning method and device for a cleaning robot, a server, and a cleaning robot.

Background technique

At present, mobile robots have been widely used in industry, agriculture, medical care, service and other industries. For example, mobile cleaning robots are often used for domestic or commercial use. The cleaning robot may interrupt the cleaning task due to obstacles or other reasons during the execution of the operation. For example, encountering an obstacle in the current cleaning area requires entering the next cleaning area. At this time, if the cleaning robot enters the next pre-set cleaning area according to the preset path, repeated operations are likely to occur. For another example, the pre-set next cleaning area may be stacked with too many sundries or temporarily closed, and the cleaning robot cannot enter the next cleaning area, which may easily lead to a situation where it cannot move forward. Therefore, the prior art has a problem of inflexibility in the path planning of the cleaning robot, thereby affecting the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a path planning method and device for a cleaning robot, a server and a cleaning robot, so as to solve the problem of inflexibility in the path planning of the cleaning robot in the prior art.

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present application provides a path planning method for a cleaning robot, which is applied to a server, and the path planning method includes:

Receive the alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, and the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle;

Obtain the current location of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and the entry and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning areas;

Determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located. the adjacent sub-cleaning area to be cleaned;

The shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path to perform operations.

In this embodiment of the present application, there is a preset cleaning sequence among the plurality of sub-cleaning areas.

In the embodiment of the present application, the path planning method further includes: acquiring adjacent sub-cleaning areas of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; Whether the neighboring sub-cleaning region is a candidate sub-cleaning region.

In the embodiment of the present application, the path planning method further includes: determining whether an adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located has an entry prohibition sign; if the adjacent sub-cleaning area has an entry prohibition sign, determining the corresponding sub-cleaning area Neighboring sub-cleaning regions are not candidate sub-cleaning regions.

A second aspect of the present application provides a path planning method for a cleaning robot, which is applied to a cleaning robot, where the cleaning robot communicates with a server, and the path planning method includes:

sending an alarm message to the server, the alarm message indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle;

Receive the shortest path sent by the server, the shortest path is the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area It is the sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located. The server has a map of the cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and the entry and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area;

Drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path to work.

In the embodiment of the present application, the path planning method further includes:

Obtain the location information of the entrance and exit nodes of multiple sub-cleaning areas sent by the server;

In the case that the current position matches the position information of the entrance and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area, a punch-in signal is sent to the server.

A third aspect of the present application provides a path planning device for a cleaning robot, including:

The message receiving module is configured to receive an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, and the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle;

The map acquisition module is configured to acquire the current position of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning areas;

The path determination module is configured to determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the same as the selected sub-cleaning area. The sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located;

The sending module is configured to send the shortest path to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operations according to the shortest path.

A fourth aspect of the present application provides a server, which communicates with at least one cleaning robot, and the server includes a processor configured to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for the cleaning robot.

A fifth aspect of the present application provides a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot communicates with a server, and the cleaning robot includes a processor configured to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for the cleaning robot.

A sixth aspect of the present application provides a machine-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored on the machine-readable storage medium, and the instructions are used to cause a machine to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for a cleaning robot.

Through the above technical solution, a server is introduced, the server is communicated with at least one cleaning robot, the server receives an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, and obtains the current position of the cleaning robot and the current location of the cleaning area. A map, which records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry-exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area, thereby determining the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, via the entry-exit node of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entry-exit node of the candidate sub-cleaning area , the candidate sub-cleaning area is adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; and then the shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to operate according to the shortest path. In this way, the present application can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot, which improves the flexibility of the path planning of the cleaning robot, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot.

Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail in the detailed description section that follows.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings are used to provide further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the embodiments of the present application together with the following specific embodiments, but do not constitute limitations to the embodiments of the present application. In the attached image:

FIG. 1 schematically shows an application environment diagram of a path planning method for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a path planning method for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

3 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application;

4 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to yet another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 schematically shows a structural diagram of a directed graph of a work area according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 schematically shows a flowchart of a path planning method for a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 schematically shows a structural diagram of a path planning device for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the The specific embodiments described are only used to illustrate and explain the embodiments of the present application, and are not used to limit the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

It should be noted that if there are directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) involved in the embodiments of the present application, the directional indications are only used to explain a certain posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication also changes accordingly.

In addition, if there are descriptions related to "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only for the purpose of description, and should not be construed as indicating or implying Its relative importance or implicitly indicates the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature delimited with "first", "second" may expressly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but must be based on the realization by those of ordinary skill in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be realized, it should be considered that the combination of such technical solutions does not exist. , is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an application environment diagram of a path planning method for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. The path planning method for the cleaning robot provided by the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the application environment shown in FIG. 1 . The server 101 communicates with at least one cleaning robot 102 respectively. The server 101 can be implemented by an independent server or a server cluster composed of multiple servers. The cleaning robot 102 may be a movable cleaning robot, including but not limited to a cleaning robot and the like. FIG. 1 takes three cleaning robots 102 as an example. The cleaning robots 102 may include cleaning robot 1 , cleaning robot 2 and cleaning robot 3 . When a single cleaning robot is working, each cleaning robot needs to create a map, and the map information includes the working area. The embodiment of the present application introduces a server, which is used as a scheduling device. Map information is placed on the server, and according to the defined area information format, multiple cleaning robots can work together without affecting each other.

During the cleaning process, the cleaning robot may interrupt the cleaning task of the current cleaning area due to encountering obstacles and other reasons. If the next area is cleaned according to the previously preset path, the cleaning path is not necessarily the shortest. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application provides a way of planning the shortest path when the cleaning task of the cleaning robot cannot continue through the communication between the server and the cleaning robot.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a flowchart of a path planning method for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2 , in an embodiment of the present application, a path planning method for a cleaning robot is provided, which is applied to a server, and the path planning method may include the following steps.

Step 201: Receive an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, where the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle.

In the embodiment of the present application, when the cleaning robot is working, an unexpected situation may occur, so that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. For example, too much debris is piled up in front of the cleaning robot and cannot continue to move forward, or the front of the cleaning robot is blocked and cannot continue to move forward. At this time, the server needs to dynamically adjust the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot changes the cleaning or walking path. In the embodiment of the present application, the alarm message refers to a message sent to the server by the cleaning robot when it is determined that it cannot continue to move forward, indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, so that the server knows that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. In one example, the alarm message may include location information, and the server may determine the current location of the cleaning robot according to the location information. In another example, the alarm message does not include location information. After receiving the alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the server sends an instruction to obtain location information to the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot then feeds back the current location information according to the instruction to obtain location information. to the server. In this way, the server can determine the current position of the cleaning robot while acquiring the alarm message.

Step 202: Obtain the current location of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, where the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry and exit nodes of the multiple sub-cleaning areas.

In this embodiment of the present application, the map is a directed graph of the work area. The map may include multiple sub-cleaning areas that do not overlap with each other, and each sub-cleaning area in the multiple sub-cleaning areas includes an entry node and an exit node, that is, an entry and exit node. The directed graph of the working area is determined according to the entry and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area, and the entry and exit nodes of the adjacent sub-cleaning areas of any sub-cleaning area.

In the embodiment of the present application, the directed graph of the operation area is pre-built: the operation map of the area to be cleaned is divided into a plurality of sub-cleaning areas that do not overlap with each other; an entrance node and an exit node are respectively set in each sub-cleaning area; The entry node and exit node of any sub-cleaning area in the plurality of sub-cleaning areas, and the entrance and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area determine the directed graph of the working area.

Specifically, the operation map of the area to be cleaned is all cleaning areas where the cleaning robot needs to perform operations. In one example, an image of the area to be cleaned may be collected by an image collection device, and an operation map of the area to be cleaned may be established based on this. It is also possible to create a working map of the area to be cleaned from the building plan.

In order to improve cleaning efficiency and reduce repeated cleaning, the operation map can be divided into multiple sub-cleaning areas that do not overlap with each other. In an example, the area to be cleaned may be divided into 6 sub-cleaning areas, and each box respectively encloses a sub-cleaning area. The six sub-cleaning areas do not overlap with each other, so that repeated operations can be reduced and the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot can be improved.

For each sub-cleaning area, the server can set an entry node and an exit node respectively. FIG. 3 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 4 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 5 schematically shows a structural diagram of a walking path of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application.

In this embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 , the hollow circle may represent the entry node, and the solid circle may represent the exit node. Each sub-clean area contains entry and exit nodes. The entry node and exit node shown in Figure 3 are just a reference point. During the actual operation, the robot will determine whether the cleaning robot enters or exits from the entry node or the exit node according to the current position, and dynamically performs path planning.

As shown in Figure 3, the cleaning robot is a triangle icon, a is the entry node, and b is the exit node. When the cleaning robot is closer to point a, it will enter the area through point a and leave the area from point b. As shown in Figure 4, when the cleaning robot is close to point b, it will enter the area through point b and leave the area from point a. As shown in Figure 5, the cleaning robot can also enter the area through point a, and also leave the area from point a. That is, according to the working position of the cleaning robot, the entry and exit of the cleaning robot in the current working area can be dynamically determined, so that the path of the cleaning robot is the shortest.

For any sub-cleaning area, by connecting the entry node and exit node of any sub-cleaning area with the entry node or exit node of its adjacent sub-cleaning area, the directed graph of the work area can be obtained. Among them, judging whether to connect to the entrance node or the exit node of the adjacent sub-cleaning area is determined based on the distance between the entrance node and the exit node in the adjacent sub-cleaning area from any sub-cleaning area, and selects the node with a closer distance to any sub-cleaning area. to connect.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a structural diagram of a directed graph of a work area according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 6 , the area to be cleaned can be divided into 6 sub-cleaning areas, and each box is encircled by a sub-cleaning area respectively. The six sub-cleaning areas do not overlap with each other. Fig. 6 takes area 1, area 2, area 4 and area 5 as examples, the distances between the nodes of the directed graph of the work area may be L1, L2, L3, ..., L9 respectively. Taking the cleaning robot in area 1 as an example, when the cleaning robot is in area 1, the adjacent sub-cleaning area may be area 2 or area 4. If the entry node of area 2 is close to area 1, then for area 1, you need to connect the entry node of area 2; the entry node of area 4 is also close to area 1, then for area 1, you also need to connect the entry node of area 4. For area 2, the exit node of area 1 is closer to area 2, then for area 2, the exit node of area 1 needs to be connected. It should be noted that there are connected arrows between Area 1, Area 2, and Area 4, indicating that the cleaning robot can directly reach Area 2 or Area 4 from Area 1. However, there may be an elevator or patio area between area 1 and area 5, so there is no connecting arrow between area 1 and area 5, indicating that area 1 cannot directly reach area 5. According to the above definition method, a directed graph of the working area of the entire area to be cleaned can be constructed, so that the server can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot according to the directed graph of the working area to determine the shortest path of the cleaning robot.

Step 203: Determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the entry and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area to the entry and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area through the current position of the cleaning robot, via the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the same as the current location of the cleaning robot. The sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the cleaning area.

In the embodiment of the present application, the most determined shortest path can improve the working efficiency of the cleaning robot. The server can calculate the shortest path for the cleaning robot to reach these areas through graph search or Dijkstra algorithm.

In one example, the server may first determine at least one candidate sub-cleaning area according to the current position of the cleaning robot and the directed graph of the working area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the sub-cleaning sub-cleaning area adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located. Then, according to the directed graph of the working area, determine multiple paths for the cleaning robot to enter at least one candidate sub-cleaning area; and finally determine the shortest path among the multiple paths as the shortest path for the cleaning robot to enter the next working area.

Specifically, the candidate sub-cleaning area is a sub-cleaning area that no other cleaning robot is working and has not been cleaned. The target sub-cleaning area is the adjacent sub-cleaning area with the shortest path between the candidate sub-cleaning area and the current sub-cleaning area. By first determining the candidate sub-cleaning areas, repeated cleaning or the collision between the current cleaning robot and other cleaning robots can be avoided. In the case where the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward in the current sub-cleaning area, the candidate sub-cleaning area is a candidate sub-cleaning area in the adjacent sub-cleaning areas of the current sub-cleaning area. The server may use the adjacent sub-cleaning areas that have not been cleaned and have not been operated by other cleaning robots as candidate sub-cleaning areas.

The determination that the sub-cleaning area has not been cleaned and that there is no other cleaning robot operation in the sub-cleaning area can be determined by acquiring the punch-in signal of each node. Because in the embodiment of the present application, the cleaning robot sends a punch-in signal to the server every time it passes through the entrance and exit nodes. When the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area only once, it means that there are cleaning robots working in the sub-cleaning area. When the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area twice, it means that the sub-cleaning area has been cleaned. When the exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area do not have the punch-in signal of the cleaning robot, that is, the number of times that all cleaning robots enter the entrance and exit nodes of the adjacent sub-cleaning area at the preset time is zero, which proves that the sub-cleaning area has not been cleaned and there is no other cleaning. The robot is working, and this adjacent sub-cleaning area is a candidate for the sub-cleaning area.

After the candidate sub-cleaning area is determined, multiple paths for the cleaning robot to enter the candidate sub-cleaning area can be determined according to the directed graph of the work area. The multiple paths may be multiple paths from the current position of the cleaning robot to the entry and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area via the entry and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area. Still taking Fig. 6 as an example, it is assumed that the triangle is the position where the cleaning robot is located. The adjacent sub-cleaning area adjacent to area 1 may be area 2 or area 4. It is assumed that neither zone 2 nor zone 4 has been cleaned and no other cleaning robots are working. Then area 2 and area 4 are both candidate sub-cleaning areas. At this time, the path of the cleaning robot entering the area 2 includes: the first path (ie S0-L1) from the entrance node A of the area 1 to the entrance node D of the area 2, and the exit node B of the area 1 to the entrance of the area 2. Node D's second path (ie S1-L2). Meanwhile, the path of the cleaning robot entering the area 4 includes: the third path (ie S0-L3) from the entry node A of the area 1 to the entry node C of the area 4, and the exit node B of the area 4 to the entry node of the area 4. The fourth path of C (ie S1-L4). Finally, the shortest path among the first path, the second path, the third path and the fourth path is determined as the shortest path for the cleaning robot to enter the next work area. In one example, the current position of the cleaning robot and the coordinates of the entrance and exit nodes can be obtained, and the distance value of each path can be calculated according to the coordinates, so that the path with the smallest distance value can be selected as the shortest path. In the embodiment of the present application, the shortest path is determined according to the directed graph of the work area, and the calculation method is simpler and more efficient.

Step 204 , sending the shortest path to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operations according to the shortest path. The target sub-cleaning area is one of the candidate sub-cleaning areas.

In this embodiment of the present application, after determining the shortest path, the server may send the shortest path to the cleaning robot. The shortest path includes the location information of the entry and exit nodes. The cleaning robot also has map information of the cleaning area, which is mainly used for local navigation and not used for scheduling between sub-cleaning areas. The cleaning robot receives the shortest path sent by the server, and can drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path.

Through the above technical solution, a server is introduced, the server is communicated with at least one cleaning robot, the server receives an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, and obtains the current position of the cleaning robot and the current location of the cleaning area. A map, which records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry-exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area, thereby determining the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, via the entry-exit node of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entry-exit node of the candidate sub-cleaning area , the candidate sub-cleaning area is adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; and then the shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to operate according to the shortest path. In this way, the present application can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot, which improves the flexibility of the path planning of the cleaning robot, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot.

In this embodiment of the present application, there may be a preset cleaning sequence among the plurality of sub-cleaning areas.

Specifically, the server may also specify the cleaning sequence of the cleaning robot, so that there is a preset cleaning sequence among the plurality of sub-cleaning areas. The work area can be divided into area 1 to area 6. In the initial sequence, the cleaning sequence can be set to work in the order of Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 6, Zone 5, and Zone 4. However, when the cleaning robot is working, there may be accidents. For example, too many debris may be stacked in the area 6, or the area 6 is closed, and the cleaning area needs to be dynamically adjusted. At this time, when the cleaning robot reaches area 3, the server finds that area 6 cannot be operated, and needs to perform dynamic calculation. At this time, if area 1 and area 2 have been cleaned, the server needs to determine whether the next operation area is changed to area 4 or area 5. During the cleaning process of the cleaning robot, the cleaning sequence of the cleaning robot is dynamically changed, thereby improving the working efficiency of the cleaning robot.

In this embodiment of the present application, the path planning method may further include:

Get the adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located;

According to the number of times that all cleaning robots enter the entrance and exit nodes of adjacent sub-cleaning areas at a preset time, it is determined whether adjacent sub-cleaning areas are candidate sub-cleaning areas.

Specifically, during the cleaning process of the cleaning robot, it may happen that the current sub-cleaning area cannot continue to move forward. For the situation that the cleaning robot cannot move forward in the current sub-cleaning area, the server needs to plan the cleaning robot to enter the candidate sub-cleaning area. Candidate sub-cleaning areas refer to adjacent sub-cleaning areas that have not been cleaned and no other cleaning robots are working. This avoids repeated cleaning or situations where the current cleaning robot collides with other cleaning robots.

In the embodiment of the present application, the cleaning robot sends a punch-in signal to the server every time it passes through the entrance and exit nodes. Within the preset time, that is, within the set working time period, when the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area only once, it means that there is a cleaning robot working in the sub-cleaning area. When the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area twice, it means that the sub-cleaning area has been cleaned. When none of the exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area has a punch-in signal from the cleaning robot, it proves that the sub-cleaning area has not been cleaned and no other cleaning robots are working, and can be determined as a candidate sub-cleaning area.

In this embodiment of the present application, the path planning method may further include: determining whether an adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located has an entry prohibition sign; if the adjacent sub-cleaning area has an entry prohibition sign, determining Adjacent sub-cleaning regions are not candidate sub-cleaning regions.

Specifically, the adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is located may be unable to enter the set adjacent sub-cleaning area due to the accumulation of too many sundries, or the adjacent sub-cleaning area of the cleaning robot may be closed As a result, the cleaning robot cannot enter the set adjacent sub-cleaning area, and the server needs to dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot.

In one example, the server may determine whether an adjacent sub-cleaning area is a candidate sub-cleaning area by determining whether an adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located has an entry prohibition sign. In the case that the adjacent sub-cleaning area has an entry prohibition sign, it is determined that the adjacent sub-cleaning area is not a candidate sub-cleaning area. Wherein, the entry prohibition sign may be a signal fed back by the cleaning robot for detecting the accumulation of sundries or some preset identification information. In this way, in the case that the cleaning robot cannot enter the set adjacent sub-cleaning area, the server also needs to re-plan the path of the cleaning robot.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a flow chart of a method for planning a path of a cleaning robot according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 7 , in another embodiment of the present application, a path planning method for a cleaning robot is provided, which is applied to a cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot communicates with a server. The path planning method may include the following steps:

Step 701, sending an alarm message to the server, the alarm message indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle;

Step 702, receive the shortest path sent by the server, the shortest path is the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, the candidate The sub-cleaning area is the sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located. The server has a map of the cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and the entrance and exit nodes of the multiple sub-cleaning areas;

Step 703 , drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path to perform the operation.

In the embodiment of the present application, when the cleaning robot is working, an unexpected situation may occur, so that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. For example, too much debris is piled up in front of the cleaning robot and cannot continue to move forward, or the front of the cleaning robot is blocked and cannot continue to move forward. At this time, the cleaning robot can send an alarm message to the server, so that the server can dynamically adjust the cleaning robot and change the cleaning or walking path. In the embodiment of the present application, the alarm message refers to a message sent to the server by the cleaning robot when it is determined that it cannot continue to move forward, indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, so that the server knows that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. In one example, the alarm message may include location information, and the server may determine the current location of the cleaning robot according to the location information. In another example, the alarm message does not include location information. After receiving the alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the server sends an instruction to obtain location information to the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot then feeds back the current location information according to the instruction to obtain location information. to the server. In this way, the server can determine the current position of the cleaning robot while acquiring the alarm message.

The server obtains the current location of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area according to the alarm message, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning areas. Then determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, via the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area. After determining the shortest path, the server can send the shortest path to the cleaning robot. The shortest path includes the location information of the entry and exit nodes. The cleaning robot also has map information of the cleaning area, which is mainly used for local navigation and not used for scheduling between sub-cleaning areas. After receiving the shortest path sent by the server, the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path.

Through the above technical solution, a server is introduced, and the cleaning robot communicates with the server. When the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward, the cleaning robot sends an alarm message to the server. The alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, and the server obtains cleaning according to the alarm message. The current position of the robot and a map of the current cleaning area, which records multiple sub-cleaning areas and the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area, so as to determine the location of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the candidate sub-cleaning area. The shortest path among the multiple paths of the entry and exit nodes. The candidate sub-cleaning area is adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; then the shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path. . In this way, the embodiments of the present application can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot, improve the flexibility of the path planning of the cleaning robot, and thus improve the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot.

In this embodiment of the present application, the path planning method may further include:

Obtain the location information of the entrance and exit nodes of multiple sub-cleaning areas sent by the server;

In the case that the current position matches the position information of the entrance and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area, a punch-in signal is sent to the server.

Specifically, the cleaning robot will send a punch-in signal to the server every time it passes through the entrance and exit nodes. Therefore, the cleaning robot can obtain location information, such as coordinate information, of the entrance and exit nodes of multiple sub-cleaning areas through the server. In the case that the current position of the cleaning robot matches the position of the entrance and exit nodes, the cleaning robot sends a punch-in signal to the server. So that the server can determine whether the sub-cleaning area is a candidate sub-cleaning area through the punch-in signal. For example, when the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area only once, it means that there is a cleaning robot working in the sub-cleaning area; when the cleaning robot passes through the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area twice, it means that the sub-cleaning area has been cleaned; When none of the exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area have a punch-in signal from the cleaning robot, it proves that the sub-cleaning area has not been cleaned and no other cleaning robots are working. By sending a punch-in signal to the server, the server records the information that the cleaning robot enters and leaves the sub-cleaning area.

FIG. 8 schematically shows a structural diagram of a path planning device for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 8 , an embodiment of the present application provides a path planning device for a cleaning robot, which may include:

The message receiving module 801 is configured to receive an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, and the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle;

The map acquisition module 802 is configured to acquire the current position of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning areas;

The path determination module 803 is configured to determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the same as the cleaning robot. The sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the current sub-cleaning area;

The sending module 804 is configured to send the shortest path to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operations according to the shortest path.

In the embodiment of the present application, when the cleaning robot is working, an unexpected situation may occur, so that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. For example, too much debris is piled up in front of the cleaning robot and cannot continue to move forward, or the front of the cleaning robot is blocked and cannot continue to move forward. The message receiving module 801 receives the alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, and requires the server to dynamically adjust the cleaning robot according to the alarm message, so that the cleaning robot changes the cleaning or walking path. In the embodiment of the present application, the alarm message refers to a message sent to the server by the cleaning robot when it is determined that it cannot continue to move forward, indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, so that the server knows that the cleaning robot cannot continue to move forward. In one example, the alarm message may include location information, and the server may determine the current location of the cleaning robot according to the location information. In another example, the alarm message does not include location information. After receiving the alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the server sends an instruction to obtain location information to the cleaning robot, and the cleaning robot then feeds back the current location information according to the instruction to obtain location information. to the server. In this way, the server can determine the current position of the cleaning robot while acquiring the alarm message.

In this embodiment of the present application, the map is a directed graph of the work area. The map may include multiple sub-cleaning areas that do not overlap with each other, and each sub-cleaning area in the multiple sub-cleaning areas may include an entry node and an exit node, ie, an entry and exit node. The directed graph of the working area is determined according to the entry and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area, and the entry and exit nodes of the adjacent sub-cleaning areas of any sub-cleaning area. The map obtaining module 802 obtains the current location of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, so as to dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot to determine the shortest path of the cleaning robot.

In this embodiment of the present application, the shortest path may be the shortest path, so as to improve the working efficiency of the cleaning robot. The path determination module 803 can calculate the shortest path for the cleaning robot to reach these areas through graph search or Dijkstra algorithm. In an example, the server may first determine at least one candidate sub-cleaning area according to the current position of the cleaning robot and the directed graph of the working area; paths; finally, the shortest path among the multiple paths is determined as the shortest path for the cleaning robot to enter the next work area. In the embodiment of the present application, the shortest path is determined according to the directed graph of the work area, and the calculation method is simpler and more efficient.

After the server determines the shortest path, the sending module 804 may send the shortest path to the cleaning robot. The shortest path includes the location information of the entry and exit nodes. The cleaning robot also has map information of the cleaning area, which is mainly used for local navigation and not used for scheduling between sub-cleaning areas. The cleaning robot receives the shortest path sent by the server, and can drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path.

Through the above technical solution, a server is introduced to communicate with at least one cleaning robot, the message receiving module 801 receives an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the alarm message indicates that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle, and the map obtaining module 802 obtains the current position of the cleaning robot and the map of the current cleaning area, which records multiple sub-cleaning areas and the entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning area; the path determination module 803 determines that the cleaning robot reaches the entrance and exit of the candidate sub-cleaning area from the current position via the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area The shortest path among the multiple paths of the node, the candidate sub-cleaning area is adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; then the shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot through the sending module 804, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning according to the shortest path area for work. In this way, the present application can dynamically plan the path of the cleaning robot, which improves the flexibility of the path planning of the cleaning robot, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the cleaning robot.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a server, which communicates with at least one cleaning robot, and the server includes a processor configured to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for the cleaning robot.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a cleaning robot, the cleaning robot communicates with the server, the cleaning robot includes a processor, and is configured to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for the cleaning robot.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a machine-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored on the machine-readable storage medium, and the instructions are used to cause a machine to execute the above-mentioned path planning method for a cleaning robot.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the present application. It will be understood that each process and/or block in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of processes and/or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to the processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine such that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce Means for implementing the functions specified in a flow or flow of a flowchart and/or a block or blocks of a block diagram.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory result in an article of manufacture comprising instruction means, the instructions The apparatus implements the functions specified in the flow or flow of the flowcharts and/or the block or blocks of the block diagrams.

These computer program instructions can also be loaded on a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process such that The instructions provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flow or blocks of the flowcharts and/or the block or blocks of the block diagrams.

In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input/output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

Memory may include non-persistent memory in computer readable media, random access memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory in the form of, for example, read only memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). Memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

Computer-readable media includes both persistent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media, and storage of information may be implemented by any method or technology. Information may be computer readable instructions, data structures, modules of programs, or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase-change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), Flash Memory or other memory technology, Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or other optical storage, Magnetic tape cartridges, magnetic tape disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission medium that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transitory computer-readable media, such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprising", "comprising" or any other variation thereof are intended to encompass a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also Other elements not expressly listed, or which are inherent to such a process, method, article of manufacture, or apparatus are also included. Without further limitation, an element qualified by the phrase "comprising a..." does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article of manufacture or apparatus that includes the element.

The above are merely examples of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and variations of this application are possible for those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of this application shall be included within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims (10)

1. A path planning method for a cleaning robot, applied to a server, wherein the server communicates with at least one cleaning robot, and the path planning method comprises: receiving an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the alarm message indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle; obtaining the current location of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, where the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entry and exit nodes of the multiple sub-cleaning areas; Determine the shortest path among multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entry and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is the same as the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located. The sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the cleaning area; The shortest path is sent to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operations according to the shortest path. 2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein a preset cleaning sequence exists between the plurality of sub-cleaning areas. 3 . 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the path planning method further comprises: Obtain the adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; Whether the adjacent sub-cleaning area is a candidate sub-cleaning area is determined according to the number of times that all cleaning robots enter the entrance and exit nodes of the adjacent sub-cleaning area at a preset time. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the path planning method further comprises: Determine whether the adjacent sub-cleaning area of the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located has an entry prohibition sign; In the case that the adjacent sub-cleaning area has an entry prohibition sign, it is determined that the adjacent sub-cleaning area is not a candidate sub-cleaning area. 5. A path planning method for a cleaning robot, applied to the cleaning robot, wherein the cleaning robot communicates with a server, and the path planning method comprises: sending an alarm message to the server, the alarm message indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle; Receive the shortest path sent by the server, the shortest path is the shortest path among multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, through the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, the The candidate sub-cleaning area is the sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located, and the server has a map of the cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located, and the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and all the entrance and exit nodes of the plurality of sub-cleaning areas; Drive to the target sub-cleaning area according to the shortest path to perform work. 6. The path planning method according to claim 5, wherein the path planning method further comprises: Obtain the location information of the entrance and exit nodes of the multiple sub-cleaning areas sent by the server; In the case that the current position matches the position information of the entrance and exit nodes of any sub-cleaning area, a punch-in signal is sent to the server. 7. A path planning device for a cleaning robot, comprising: a message receiving module configured to receive an alarm message sent by the cleaning robot, the alarm message indicating that the cleaning robot encounters a cleaning obstacle; a map acquisition module, configured to acquire the current position of the cleaning robot and a map of the current cleaning area, where the map records multiple sub-cleaning areas and entrance and exit nodes of the sub-cleaning areas; The path determination module is configured to determine the shortest path among the multiple paths of the cleaning robot from the current position, via the entrance and exit nodes of the current sub-cleaning area, to the entrance and exit nodes of the candidate sub-cleaning area, and the candidate sub-cleaning area is The sub-cleaning area to be cleaned adjacent to the sub-cleaning area where the cleaning robot is currently located; The sending module is configured to send the shortest path to the cleaning robot, so that the cleaning robot can drive to the target sub-cleaning area to perform operations according to the shortest path. 8. A server, characterized in that the server communicates with at least one cleaning robot, the server comprising a processor configured to execute the path planning method for a cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . 9 . A cleaning robot, characterized in that the cleaning robot communicates with a server, the cleaning robot comprises a processor configured to execute the path planning method for the cleaning robot according to claim 5 or 6 . 10. A machine-readable storage medium, wherein an instruction is stored on the machine-readable storage medium, and the instruction is used to cause a machine to execute the path planning of the cleaning robot according to any one of claims 1 to 6 method.

Images