RU2800503C1 - Cleaning robot and method of automatic control of cleaning robot - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: automated cleaning technology.

SUBSTANCE: invention is related to a cleaning robot and a method for automatically controlling such a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot contains: at least one laser-emitting component (120) and at least one image acquisition component (130) provided on the body (110); and a processing component (140) connected to each laser emitting component (120) and each image acquisition component (130), wherein the processing component (140) is used to obtain a target image captured by the image acquisition component (130). When there is a projection image of a laser projected onto a projection point on an obstacle in the target image, contour information of the obstacle is obtained; the obstacle type indicated by the contour information is determined; and the cleaning robot is controlled to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type. The cleaning mode includes: operating a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inner corner in a specific driving mode when the obstacle is an inner corner type obstacle; the selected mode of movement of the side brush is n reciprocating wiggles, where n is a positive integer; controlling the cleaning robot to clean along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle; controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the obstacle type is a carpet edge or a gap.

EFFECT: invention enhances the cleaning ability of the cleaning robot, since the cleaning robot is able to selectively use different cleaning modes depending on different types of obstacles.

11 cl, 14 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present application relates to a cleaning robot and a method for automatically controlling a cleaning robot, which is in the field of automatic cleaning technology.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] With the development of computer technology, various smart devices with automatic movement functions, such as cleaning robots, have appeared.

[0003] In operation, the cleaning robot typically uses sensors to detect obstacles ahead. When the sensor detects that there is an obstacle at a certain distance ahead, the robot cleaner moves back and moves in the other direction. When the sensor detects that there is no obstacle ahead, the cleaning robot will move forward and perform cleaning operations. For example, a cleaning robot detects obstacles using ultrasonic and infrared proximity sensors.

[0004] However, the cleaning environment of the cleaning robot is complex. There may be various obstacles in front of the cleaning robot, such as wires, corners, table and chair legs, carpets, etc. Since the obstacle avoidance strategy is adapted to move the cleaning robot around various obstacles, this will lead to the problem of poor cleaning performance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present application provides a cleaning robot and a method for automatically controlling the cleaning robot, which can solve the problem that the existing cleaning robot uniformly uses an obstacle avoidance strategy when an obstacle is detected, resulting in poor cleaning performance. The present application provides the following technical solutions.

[0006] In a first aspect, a cleaning robot is provided, and the cleaning robot comprises:

[0007] housing;

[0008] at least one laser emitting component disposed on the housing, each laser emitting component configured to project a laser in a moving direction;

[0009] at least one imaging component disposed on the housing, each imaging component configured to acquire a target image in a direction of movement;

[0010] a processing component connected to each laser emitting component and each image acquisition component, the processing component being configured to acquire a target image collected by the image acquisition component; wherein, when there is a projection image of a projection point at which a laser is projected onto an obstacle on the target image, contour information of the obstacle is obtained; the obstacle type indicated by the contour information is determined; and the cleaning robot is controlled to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type.

[0011] Optionally, the processing component is configured to:

[0012] determining a distance between a projection point and a target image acquisition component based on a triangulation ranging method for each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the target image acquisition component being an imaging component that acquires a projection image of the projection point;

[0013] determining the three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point relative to the target image acquisition component according to the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; And

[0014] determining information about the outline of the obstacle based on the three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of projection points on the obstacle.

[0015] Optionally, the imaging component comprises a lens and an imaging component, the laser emitting component comprises a laser emitting head;

[0016] For each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the processing component is configured to:

[0017] obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component that projects the projection point and the lens of the target image acquisition component;

[0018] obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line, wherein the first connection line is the connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is the connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and a lens of the target image acquisition component;

[0019] obtaining the focal length of the target image acquisition component;

[0020] obtaining an imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; And

[0021] calculating the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the principle of similar triangles in accordance with the specified distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position.

[0022] Optionally, the set of projection points on the obstacle includes:

[0023] a plurality of projection points generated by a plurality of laser-emitting components projecting a laser onto an obstacle; and/or

[0024] a plurality of projection points generated by the same laser emitting component projecting a laser onto a plurality of obstacle surfaces; and/or

[0025] a plurality of projection points generated by a laser emitting component projecting a laser onto an obstacle at different angles after the robot cleaner drives the same laser emitting component.

[0026] Optionally, the processing component is configured to:

[0027] controlling the cleaning robot to enter an obstacle avoidance mode when the obstacle is a coil or wire type obstacle;

[0028] planning a walkable route for controlling the cleaning robot to pass through an obstacle when the obstacle is a column type obstacle;

[0029] controlling a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inside corner in a certain driving mode when the obstacle is an inside corner type obstacle;

[0030] controlling the cleaning robot along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle;

[0031] determining whether the robot cleaner can overcome the current threshold type obstacle when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle;

[0032] controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the type of obstacle is a carpet edge or a gap.

[0033] Optionally, the radiation angles of the laser emitted by the different laser emitting components are the same or different.

[0034] Optionally, the lens of the imaging component is a direct view lens, a panoramic reflective lens, a partially reflective lens, or a periscope lens.

[0035] In a second aspect, a method is provided for automatically controlling a cleaning robot that is used in the cleaning robot provided in the first aspect, and the method includes:

[0036] obtaining the target image collected by the image acquisition component;

[0037] obtaining information about the outline of the obstacle when there is a projection image of the projection point projected by the laser onto the obstacle in the target image;

[0038] determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information; And

[0039] controlling the cleaning robot according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type.

[0040] Optionally, obtaining information about the contour of the obstacle includes:

[0041] determining a distance between a projection point and a target image acquisition component based on a triangulation ranging method for each projection point projected onto an obstacle, wherein the target image acquisition component is an image acquisition component that acquires a projection image of the projection point;

[0042] determining the three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point relative to the target image acquisition component according to the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; And

[0043] determining information about the outline of the obstacle based on the three-dimensional coordinates of a plurality of projection points on the obstacle.

[0044] Optionally, determining the distance between a projection point and a target imaging component based on a triangulation ranging method for each projection point projected onto an obstacle includes:

[0045] obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component that projects the projection point and the lens of the target image acquisition component;

[0046] obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line, wherein the first connection line is a connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is the connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and a lens of the target image acquisition component;

[0047] obtaining the focal length of the target image acquisition component;

[0048] obtaining the imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; And

[0049] calculating the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the principle of similar triangles according to the specified distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position.

[0050] Optionally, controlling the cleaning robot according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type includes:

[0051] controlling the cleaning robot to enter an obstacle avoidance mode when the obstacle is a coil-type or wire-type obstacle;

[0052] planning a walkable path for controlling the cleaning robot to pass through an obstacle when the obstacle is a column type obstacle;

[0053] operating a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inside corner in a certain driving mode when the obstacle is an inside corner type obstacle;

[0054] controlling the cleaning robot to clean along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle;

[0055] determining whether the robot cleaner can overcome the current threshold type obstacle when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle;

[0056] controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the type of obstacle is a carpet edge or a gap.

[0057] In a third aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The program is stored on the data carrier. The program is downloaded and executed by the processor for executing the method for automatically controlling the cleaning robot according to the second aspect.

[0058] The positive effect of the present invention is that: by providing at least one laser emitting component located on the housing; by providing at least one imaging component disposed on the body; by providing a processing component connected to each laser emitting component and each image acquisition component, and wherein the processing component is configured to obtain a target image collected by the image acquisition component; by obtaining information about the outline of the obstacle when there is a projection image of the projection point where the laser is projected onto the obstacle in the target image; by determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information; and by controlling the cleaning robot for cleaning according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type, it can solve the problem that the existing cleaning robot uniformly uses the obstacle avoidance strategy when an obstacle is detected, resulting in a poor cleaning action. Because the cleaning robot can use different cleaning modes according to different types of obstacles, instead of avoiding all obstacles and not cleaning, the cleaning ability of the cleaning robot can be improved.

[0059] The above description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present application. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention and implement them in accordance with the contents of the description, the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings are described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF GRAPHICS

[00605] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a cleaning robot provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] in FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a laser emitted by a laser emitting component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0062] in FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a laser emitted by a laser emitting component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0063] in FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a construction of an imaging component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0064] in FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a lens of an imaging component provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0065] in FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the lens of an imaging component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0066] in FIG. 7 is a schematic view of the lens of an imaging component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0067] in FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the lens of an imaging component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] in FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the relative positions of the imaging component and the laser emitting component provided by the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] in FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the relative positions of the imaging component and the laser emitting component provided by the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] in FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the relative positions of the imaging component and the laser emitting component provided by the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0071] in FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the relative positions of the imaging component and the laser emitting component provided by the fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0072] in FIG. 13 is a schematic view of distance measurement to a transmission point based on the triangulation ranging method provided by an embodiment of the present invention; And

[0073] in FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method for automatically controlling a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] Specific implementations of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. The following examples are adapted to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0075] It should be noted that the detailed description set forth in connection with the accompanying drawings is provided as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The apparatus embodiments and method embodiments described herein are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings with various blocks, modules, assemblies, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements "), as shown. These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether these elements are implemented as hardware or software depends on the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. When terms such as "first" and "second" are used in the description and claims of the present application and the drawings in the description, such descriptions are adapted to distinguish between different entities and not to describe a particular order.

[0076] It should be understood that when used in this description and the accompanying claims, the terms "comprising" and "comprising" indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more than other signs, integers, stages, operations, elements, components and/or their sets. It should also be understood that the terminology used in the description of the invention herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In addition, it should also be understood that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the term "and/or" refers to and includes any and all possible combinations of one or more of the related listed elements.

[0077] It should be noted that in the absence of an explicit specific description, each technical feature in each embodiment of the present invention can be considered as one that can be combined with others, provided that the combination is not technically impossible to implement. In order to more fully describe the present invention, certain illustrative, optional, or preferred features are described in conjunction with other technical features in each embodiment of the present invention. However, this combination is not mandatory, and it should be understood that illustrative, optional, or preferred features and other technical features are separable or independent from each other, unless such separability or independence is due to technical reasons that cannot be implemented. Some functional descriptions of technical features in method embodiments may be understood as performing functions, methods, or steps. Some functional descriptions of technical features in an embodiment of a device may be understood as the use of such a device to perform functions, methods, or steps.

[0078] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a cleaning robot provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning robot at least comprises:

[0079] housing 110;

[0080] at least one laser emitting component 120 disposed on the housing 110, each laser emitting component 120 being configured to project a laser in a moving direction;

[0081] at least one imaging component 130 disposed on the body 110, each imaging component 130 being configured to acquire a target image in a moving direction;

[0082] a processing component 140 (not shown in FIG. 1) connected to each laser emitting component 120 and each imaging component 130, the processing component 140 being configured to obtain a target image collected by the imaging component 130; when there is a projection image of a projection point at which a laser is projected onto an obstacle on the target image, contour information of the obstacle is obtained; the obstacle type indicated by the contour information is determined; and the cleaning robot is controlled to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type.

[0083] Meanwhile, the moving direction may be the direction in which the robot cleaner moves. For example, if the cleaning robot moves backward, the moving direction of the cleaning robot is reversed. Alternatively, the direction of movement may also be the direction in which the stationary cleaning robot is going to move.

[0084] Optionally, the laser emitting component 120 may be a helium neon laser, an argon ion laser, a gallium arsenide semiconductor laser, or the like, and the type of the laser emitting component 120 in this embodiment is not limited. The laser projected by the laser emitting component 120 is a laser beam (or line laser).

[0085] Optionally, the laser beam is emitted in the entire 180-degree horizontal range in front of the cleaning robot so that obstacles in the left, middle and right ranges in front of the cleaning robot can be detected, and the detection range is more complete. The laser beam can detect obstacles in the middle and lower positions in the numerical direction, so that obstacles located on the floor and with a lower height, such as door sills, carpet edges, steps, floor tile gaps, etc., can also be detected.

[0086] Optionally, there may be one or more laser emitting components 120. For each laser emitting component 120, the laser emitted by the laser emitting component 120 may be parallel to the horizontal plane (with reference to the laser emitted by the laser emitting component A shown in FIG. 2), vertical with respect to the horizontal plane (with reference to the laser emitted by the laser emitting component B shown in Fig. 2) or intersected with the horizontal plane (with reference to the laser emitted by the laser emitting component C shown in Fig. 2). This embodiment does not limit the laser emitting angles to the laser emitting component 120.

[0087] When the number of laser emitting components 120 is at least two, the laser emission angles of different laser emitting components 120 are the same or different. For example, with regard to the lasers emitted by the four groups of laser emitting components 120 shown in FIG. 3, for the first group of laser emitting components 120, each laser emitting component 120 emits a laser at the same angle, and the emitted laser is parallel to the horizontal plane; for the second group of laser emitting components 120, each laser emitting component 120 emits a laser at the same angle, and the emitted laser is perpendicular to the horizontal plane; for the third group of laser emitting components 120, the first laser emitting component and the third laser emitting component emit the laser at the same angle (the laser is perpendicular to the horizontal plane), and the first laser emitting component and the second laser emitting component emit the laser at a different angle (the laser is horizontal with respect to horizontal plane); and for the fourth group of laser emitting components 120, the angles at which the first laser emitting component, the second laser emitting component, and the third laser emitting component emit a laser are different.

[0088] Each laser emitting component 120 includes a laser emitting head that emits a laser. Of course, the laser emitting component 120 also contains other components necessary in the laser emitting process, such as a laser generating component, a photon acceleration component, etc., which will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0089] Optionally, the image acquisition component 130 may be a miniature video camera, still camera, or the like, and the type of the image acquisition component 130 in this embodiment is not limited.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 4, the imaging part 130 includes a lens 131 and an imaging part 132.

[0091] Optionally, the lens 131 includes, but is not limited to, the following types: a direct view lens, a panoramic reflective lens, a partially reflective lens, or a periscope lens. Referring to FIG. 5, direct view lens refers to a lens that supports direct light incidence. Referring to FIG. 6, the panoramic reflective lens refers to a lens into which light rays are incident at different angles after being reflected once. Referring to FIG. 7, a partially reflective lens refers to a lens in which light is reflected once at a certain angle and then falls off. Referring to FIG. 8, a periscope lens refers to a lens into which light is incident after at least two reflections. A bandpass filter 133 is provided on the lens 131. The bandpass filter 133 makes the imaging component 130 only visible to the laser emitted by the laser emitting component 120.

[0092] Optionally, the imaging component 132 may be a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor or a charge-coupled device (CCD), etc. The type of the imaging component 132 in this embodiment is not limited.

[0093] The number of image acquisition components 130 is one or more. Optionally, both the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 are positioned on the side of the housing 110. The imaging component 130 may be positioned above the laser emitting component 120. Alternatively, the imaging component 130 may also be positioned below the laser emitting component 120. alternatively, the imaging components 130 and the laser-emitting components 120 are alternately arranged in the same horizontal plane. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 is not limited.

[0094] In the first embodiment, referring to FIG. 9, the number of both the laser-emitting components 120 and the imaging components 130 is one; the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 are both located on the side of the housing 110; and the laser emitting component 120 is positioned directly above the imaging component 130 .

[0095] In the second embodiment, referring to FIG. 10, the number of laser-emitting components 120 is two, and the number of imaging components 130 is one; the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 are both located on the side of the housing 110; one laser emitting component 120 is located at the upper left side of the imaging component 130, and the other laser emitting component 120 is located at the upper right side of the imaging component 130.

[0096] In the third embodiment, referring to FIG. 11, the number of laser-emitting components 120 is three, and the number of imaging components 130 is one; the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 are both located on the side of the housing 110; the first laser emitting component 120 is located at the top left of the imaging component 130, the second laser emitting component 120 is located immediately above the imaging component 130, and the third laser emitting component 120 is located at the upper right of the imaging component 130.

[0097] In the fourth embodiment, referring to FIG. 12, the number of laser emitting components 120 is three; the number of image acquisition components 130 is two; and the imaging component 130 and the laser emitting component 120 are both located on the side of the housing 110. Three laser emitting components 120 are positioned above the two imaging components 130.

[0098] In this embodiment, the laser emitting component 120 and the imaging component 130 operate under the control of the processing component 140. The processing component 140 controls the laser emitting component 120 to emit a laser. If there is an obstacle before the laser emission process, the laser emission direction is changed and a projection point is projected onto the obstacle. At this time, the target image collected by the image acquisition component 130 contains a projection image of the projection point. Accordingly, the processing component 140 acquires the target image obtained by the image acquisition component 130 and performs image analysis according to the projection image on the target image to obtain the obstacle distance. Optionally, if there is no obstacle before the laser emission process, the laser emission direction does not change and the projection point is not projected onto the obstacle. At this time, the target image collected by the image acquisition component 130 does not contain the projection image of the projection point.

[0099] In an embodiment, when a plurality of laser-emitting components 120 are provided, the processing component 140 controls the turn-on sequence of the plurality of laser-emitting components 120 for a certain period of time. For example, when the number of laser-emitting components 120 is two, the processing component 140 controls the first laser-emitting component 120 to be turned on first; when the on time reaches 0.5 s, the first laser emitting component 120 is controlled to turn off and the second laser emitting component 120 is turned on; when the turn-on time of the second laser-emitting component 120 reaches 0.5 s, the second laser-emitting component 120 is controlled to turn off, and then the first laser-emitting component 120 is controlled to turn on, and the cycle is repeated.

[00100] In another embodiment, when a plurality of laser-emitting components 120 are provided, the processing component 140 divides the plurality of laser-emitting components 120 into several groups, and controls the turning on of the laser-emitting components 120 of the plurality of groups for a certain period of time, respectively. For example, when the number of groups of laser emitting components 120 is two (each group contains two laser emitting components), and the processing component 140 controls the first group of laser emitting components 120 to turn on first; when the on time reaches 0.5 s, the first group of laser emitting components 120 is controlled to turn off, and the second group of laser emitting components 120 is turned on; when the on time of the second group of laser emitting components 120 reaches 0.5 s, the second group of laser emitting components 120 is controlled to turn off, and then the first group of laser emitting components 120 is controlled to turn on, and the cycle is repeated.

[00101] Optionally, when there is a projection image of a projection point projected by a laser onto an obstacle in the target image, the obstacle outline information processing component 140 includes: determining a distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on a triangulation ranging method for each points of projection projected onto an obstacle; determining three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point with respect to the target image acquisition component according to the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; and determining the contour information of the obstacle based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of projection points on the obstacle. The target image acquisition component is an image acquisition component that acquires a projection image of a projection point.

[00102] Illustratively, the imaging component includes a lens and an imaging component. The laser emitting component comprises a laser emitting head. For each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the processing component determining the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the triangulation ranging method includes: obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the target laser emitting component that projects the projection point and the lens a target image acquisition component; obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line; obtaining a focal length of the target image acquisition component; obtaining an imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; and calculating a distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the principle of similar triangles according to the predetermined distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position.

[00103] Meanwhile, the first connection line is a connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is a connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and the lens of the target imaging component.

[00104] Referring to the schematic view of the three projection points projected by the laser target emitting component onto the obstacle shown in FIG. 13, for each projection point (in FIG. 13, the projection point 1 is used as an example), the laser head and the lens of the target image acquisition component are on the second connection line, and the predetermined distance is s, the focal length of the image acquisition component 130 is f, and the angle convergence between the first connection line and the second connection line is β. The imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component is P. Similar triangles can be created with geometric knowledge, and the laser head, lens, and projection point form a triangle. This triangle is similar to the triangle formed by the lens P and the auxiliary point P'.

[00105] Let PP'=x, then f/x=q/s; thus q=f*s/x.

[00106] Wherein x=x1+x2=f/tanβ+ pixel size* position.

[00107] Where pixel size is the size of a pixel unit, and position is the position of the pixel coordinates of the projection image relative to the imaging center.

[00108] The q value can be calculated from the above formula. d=q/sinβ. Based on the cosine theorem, the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component can be calculated according to d, s, and β.

[00109] Thereafter, the processing component 140 may determine the 3D coordinates of the projection point based on the position of the target image acquisition component. Then, the contour information of the obstacle is determined according to the three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of projection points.

[00110] Optionally, in this embodiment, the plurality of projection points onto an obstacle includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a plurality of projection points generated by a plurality of laser-emitting components projecting a laser onto an obstacle; a plurality of projection points generated by the same laser emitting component projecting a laser onto a plurality of obstacle surfaces; and a plurality of projection points generated by the laser emitting component projecting the laser onto the obstacle at different angles after the same laser emitting component is driven by the cleaning robot.

[00111] Optionally, the processing component 140 determining the obstacle type indicated by the contour information includes: comparing the obstacle contour information with characteristics information of various obstacle types; and determining an obstacle type corresponding to the characteristic information that matches the obstacle contour information, such as the obstacle type indicated by the contour information.

[00112] Among these, the type of obstacle is determined in accordance with the obstacles encountered in the operation of the cleaning robot. Illustratively, the types of obstacles include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: coil type, wire type, column type, inside corner type, outside corner type, threshold type, carpet edge, slot type, and the like.

[00113] Optionally, the processing part 140 controlling the cleaning robot to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type includes: controlling the cleaning robot to enter the obstacle avoidance mode when the obstacle is a coil type obstacle or a wire type obstacle; planning a walkable path for controlling the cleaning robot to pass through the obstacle, when the obstacle is a column-type obstacle; controlling a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inside corner in a specific driving mode when the obstacle is an inside corner type obstacle; controlling the cleaning robot to clean along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle; determining whether the robot cleaner can overcome the current threshold type obstacle when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle; controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the obstacle type is a carpet edge or a gap.

[00114] In this case, the specific mode of movement of the side brush may be n reciprocating wiggles, where n is a positive integer.

[00115] Optionally, when the type of obstacle is a carpet edge or a gap, if the suction force of the fan of the cleaning robot reaches the maximum value and the mopping and water spraying function is turned on, the floor mopping and water spraying function is stopped; if the suction force of the robot cleaner's fan does not reach the maximum value and the function of mopping and spraying water is turned on, the suction of the fan will increase, and the function of mopping and spraying water will stop; and if the fan suction of the robot cleaner does not reach the maximum value and the mopping and water spraying function is disabled, the fan suction increases.

[00116] Here, the column type obstacle may be a table leg, chair leg, sofa leg, etc. This embodiment does not limit the column type obstacle.

[00117] Of course, the above types of obstacles and corresponding cleaning modes are only schematic. In a real implementation, the obstacle type may also correspond to other cleaning modes. The corresponding relationship between the obstacle type and the cleaning mode may be set in the default cleaning robot or may be set by the user. This embodiment does not restrict the method of mapping between the obstacle type and the cleaning mode.

[00118] As a result, by providing at least one laser emitting component located on the housing; by providing at least one imaging component disposed on the body; by providing a processing component connected to each laser emitting component and each image acquisition component, and wherein the processing component is configured to obtain a target image collected by the image acquisition component; by obtaining information about the outline of the obstacle when there is a projection image of the projection point where the laser is projected onto the obstacle in the target image; by determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information; and by controlling the cleaning robot for cleaning according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type, the cleaning robot provided by this embodiment can solve the problem that the existing cleaning robot uniformly uses an obstacle avoidance strategy when an obstacle is detected, which leads to poor cleaning action. Because the cleaning robot can use different cleaning modes according to different types of obstacles, instead of avoiding all obstacles and not cleaning, the cleaning ability of the cleaning robot can be improved.

[00119] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method for automatically controlling a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has been described in that the method is applied to the cleaning robot shown in the above embodiments, and the processing component 140 in the cleaning robot is the execution subject of each step. The method includes at least the following steps:

[00120] Step 1401: Obtaining the target image collected by the image acquisition component.

[00121] Optionally, the processing component periodically reads the target image collected by the image acquisition component; or each time the image acquisition component captures the target image, the target image is sent to the processing component.

[00122] step 1402, obtaining information about the contour of the obstacle, when there is a projection image of the projection point where the laser is projected onto the obstacle in the target image.

[00123] Optionally, for each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component is determined based on the triangulation distance measurement method for each projection point projected onto the obstacle, wherein the target image acquisition component is an image acquisition component, which receives the projection image of the projection point; three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point relative to the target image acquisition component are determined according to the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; and the contour information of the obstacle is determined based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of projection points on the obstacle.

[00124] In this case, determining the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the triangulation method of measuring the distance for each projection point projected onto the obstacle includes: obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the target laser emitting component that projects the projection point, and a lens of the target image acquisition component; obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line, wherein the first connection line is the connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is the connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and the acquisition component lens target image; obtaining the focal length of the target image acquisition component; obtaining an imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; and calculating a distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the principle of similar triangles according to the predetermined distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position.

[00125] The description of the steps refers to the above-mentioned embodiments of the cleaning robot, it is not repeated in this embodiment.

[00126] step 1403: determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information.

[00127] Optionally, the processing component 140 compares the obstacle contour information with information about characteristics of various types of obstacles; and determines an obstacle type corresponding to the characteristic information that matches the obstacle contour information, such as the obstacle type indicated by the contour information.

[00128] step 1404, controlling the cleaning robot according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type.

[00129] Optionally, when the obstacle is a coil type obstacle or a wire type obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to enter the obstacle avoidance mode; when the obstacle is a column-type obstacle, a walkable route is planned for controlling the cleaning robot to pass through the obstacle; when the obstacle is an inner corner type obstacle, the side brush on the cleaning robot is controlled to clean the inner corner in a certain driving mode; when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle, the cleaning robot is controlled to clean along the edge of the outer corner; when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle, it is determined whether the robot cleaner can overcome the current threshold type obstacle; when the obstacle type is a carpet edge or a gap, the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot is controlled to increase.

[00130] The description of the steps refers to the above-mentioned embodiments of the cleaning robot, it is not repeated in this embodiment.

[00131] Thus, by obtaining the target image collected by the image acquisition component; by obtaining information about the outline of the obstacle when there is a projection image of the projection point where the laser is projected onto the obstacle in the target image; by determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information; and by controlling the cleaning robot to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the type of obstacle, the method of automatically controlling the cleaning robot provided by this embodiment can solve the problem that the existing cleaning robot uniformly uses the obstacle avoidance strategy when detecting obstructions, resulting in a poor cleansing action. Because the cleaning robot can use different cleaning modes according to different types of obstacles, instead of avoiding all obstacles and not cleaning, the cleaning ability of the cleaning robot can be improved.

[00132] Optionally, the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium. The program is stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The program is downloaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for automatically controlling the cleaning robot according to the above-described embodiment of the method.

[00133] Optionally, the present invention also provides a computer product. The computer product contains a computer-readable storage medium. The program is stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The program is downloaded and executed by the processor to implement the method for automatically controlling the cleaning robot according to the above-described embodiment of the method.

[00134] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be arbitrarily combined. In order to simplify the description, all possible combinations of technical features in the above embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered as included in the scope of the description in this description.

[00135] The above embodiments are only a few embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are specific and detailed, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent. It should be noted that several modifications and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept of the present invention, all of which fall within the scope of the present invention. Thus, the scope of patent protection of the present invention will be governed by the appended claims.

Claims (50)

1. A cleaning robot comprising: frame; at least one laser emitting component disposed on the housing, each laser emitting component being configured to project a laser in a moving direction; at least one image acquisition component disposed on the body, each image acquisition component being configured to acquire a target image in a direction of movement; a processing component connected to each laser-emitting component and each image acquisition component, the processing component being configured to acquire a target image collected by the image acquisition component; wherein, when there is a projection image of a projection point at which a laser is projected onto an obstacle on the target image, contour information of the obstacle is obtained; the obstacle type indicated by the contour information is determined; and the cleaning robot is controlled to clean according to the cleaning mode corresponding to the obstacle type; characterized in that the cleaning mode includes: controlling a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inside corner in a specific driving mode when the obstacle is an inside corner type obstacle; wherein the determined mode of movement of the side brush is n reciprocating wiggles, where n is a positive integer; controlling the cleaning robot to clean along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle; controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the obstacle type is a carpet edge or a gap. 2. Cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing component is configured to: determining a distance between a projection point and a target image acquisition component based on a triangulation ranging method for each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the target image acquisition component being an imaging component that acquires a projection image of the projection point; determining three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point with respect to the target image acquisition component in accordance with the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; And determining information about the outline of the obstacle based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of projection points on the obstacle. 3. The cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the imaging component comprises a lens and an imaging component, the laser emitting component comprises a laser emitting head; for each projection point projected onto the obstacle, the processing component is configured to: obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component that projects the projection point and the lens of the target image acquisition component; obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line, wherein the first connection line is the connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is the connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and the acquisition component lens target image; obtaining a focal length of the target image acquisition component; obtaining an imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; And calculating a distance between a projection point and a target image acquisition component based on the principle of similar triangles according to a predetermined distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position. 4. Cleaning robot according to claim 2, characterized in that the set of projection points on the obstacle includes: a plurality of projection points generated by a plurality of laser-emitting components projecting a laser onto an obstacle; and/or a plurality of projection points generated by the same laser emitting component projecting a laser onto a plurality of obstacle surfaces; and/or a plurality of projection points generated by the laser emitting component projecting the laser onto the obstacle at different angles after the cleaning robot drives the same laser emitting component. 5. Cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing component is additionally configured to: controlling the cleaning robot to enter an obstacle avoidance mode when the obstacle is a wire type obstacle; determining whether the robot cleaner can overcome the obstacle of the current threshold type when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle. 6. Robot cleaner according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, characterized in that the radiation angles of the laser emitted by different laser-emitting components are the same or different. 7. Robot cleaner according to any one of paragraphs. 1-5, characterized in that the lens of the imaging component is a direct view lens, a panoramic reflective lens, a partially reflective lens, or a periscope lens. 8. The method of automatic control of the robot cleaner, which is used in the robot cleaner according to any one of paragraphs. 1-7, wherein the method includes: obtaining a target image collected by the image acquisition component; obtaining information about the outline of the obstacle when there is a projection image of a projection point projected by the laser onto the obstacle on the target image; determining the type of obstacle indicated by the contour information; And controlling the cleaning robot for cleaning in accordance with the cleaning mode corresponding to the type of obstacle. 9. The automatic control method according to claim 8, characterized in that obtaining information about the contour of the obstacle includes: determining a distance between a projection point and a target image acquisition component based on a triangulation ranging method for each projection point projected onto an obstacle, the target image acquisition component being an imaging component that acquires a projection image of the projection point; determining three-dimensional coordinates of the projection point with respect to the target image acquisition component according to the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component; And determining information about the contour of the obstacle based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the plurality of projection points on the obstacle. 10. The automatic control method according to claim 9, characterized in that determining the distance between the projection point and the target image acquisition component based on the triangulation distance measurement method for each projection point projected onto the obstacle includes: obtaining a predetermined distance between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component that projects the projection point and the lens of the target image acquisition component; obtaining a convergence angle between the first connection line and the second connection line, wherein the first connection line is the connection line between the laser target emitting component and the projection point, and the second connection line is the connection line between the laser emitting head of the laser target emitting component and the acquisition component lens target image; obtaining a focal length of the target image acquisition component; obtaining an imaging position of the projection image on the imaging component; And calculating a distance between the projection point and the target imaging component based on the principle of similar triangles according to the specified distance, convergence angle, focal length, and imaging position. 11. The automatic control method according to claim. 8, characterized in that the control of the cleaning robot for cleaning in accordance with the cleaning mode corresponding to the type of obstacle, includes: controlling the cleaning robot to enter an obstacle avoidance mode when the obstacle is a wire type obstacle; controlling a side brush on the cleaning robot to clean an inside corner in a specific driving mode when the obstacle is an inside corner type obstacle; controlling the cleaning robot to clean along an outer corner edge when the obstacle is an outer corner type obstacle; determining whether the robot cleaner can overcome the obstacle of the current threshold type when the obstacle is a threshold type obstacle; And controlling the suction force of the fan on the cleaning robot to increase and/or stop the function of mopping and spraying water when the obstacle type is a carpet edge or a gap.