TW201924594A - Moving devices and controlling methods thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A controlling method applied to a moving device is provided, wherein the moving device has a sensor. The controlling method includes the following steps: defining an initial position corresponding to a dock, wherein when the moving device is in the initial position, an auto-docking operation can be enabled; moving the moving device to a first position and obtaining identification information including a plurality of characteristic points of the dock through the sensor; comparing the identification data with a plurality of predetermined characteristic point information corresponding to the dock to generate a comparison result; obtaining a direction toward the initial position from the first position that the moving device locates as a correction direction according to the comparison result; and enabling the moving device to move from the first position toward the correction direction to move the moving device to the initial position and enable the auto-docking operation.

Description

Mobile device and control method thereof

The present invention relates to a mobile device and a control method therefor, and more particularly to a mobile device having the capability of automatically docking a charging station and a control method thereof.

In recent years, with the rapid development of technology, many mobile devices with autonomous mobility (such as sweeping robots) have become more and more popular. For example, a housewife can automatically clean the floor by using a robot with an automatic cleaning function such as a sweeping robot, and the sweeping robot can automatically walk on the floor after setting and automatically perform the cleaning module. Cleaning operations such as floor cleaning make home cleaning easier. When the current sweeping robot completes the sweeping task or the power is insufficient, the sweeping robot's navigation system needs to execute the automatic docking charging station program (Auto-Docking) to return to the charging station (Dock) to park or charge. At present, a method of returning to the charging station is that the sweeping robot first moves along the radiation emitted by the charging station to an effective area near the charging station, and then detects the distance and position of the charging station through the ranging infrared or ultrasonic waves. The automatic stop charging station is completed by continuously interpreting and correcting the angle.

However, the above conventional automatic docking charging station method is designed to be The sweeping robot must be present in the effective area of the charging station as long as it is within a certain angle of the front, and the navigation system of the sweeping robot has a certain tolerance for the condition of reaching the end point. It is possible that the sweeping robot has been at the charging station. Moving outside the active area, it is often not easy or impossible to complete the automatic docking of the charging station. In addition, when the cleaning robot is not in the effective area of the charging station or its moving direction is not toward the charging station, the navigation system needs to repeatedly detect the object and try to, for example, continuously go straight, detect the collision and change the direction according to the detection result. The sweeping robot is guided into the effective area to start the automatic docking charging station program, which may cause the cleaning robot to return to the effective area, that is, the power consumption or take a long time to return to the charging station.

Accordingly, there is a need for a mobile device and control method thereof that can increase the chances of completing an automatic docking charging station, enabling the mobile device to return to the charging station more quickly and efficiently.

In view of this, the present invention provides a mobile device and a control method thereof.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a control method suitable for a mobile device, wherein the mobile device has a sensor for detecting a relative distance and an orientation with a charging station. The control method comprises the steps of: defining an initial position of a corresponding charging station, wherein when the mobile device is in the initial position, enabling automatic operation of the charging station; moving the mobile device to a first position and transmitting the sensor Obtaining identification data including one of the plurality of characteristic points of the charging station; comparing the identification data with the plurality of predetermined feature point information corresponding to the charging station, generating a comparison result; obtaining the first position pointed by the mobile device according to the comparison result initial The direction of the position acts as a correcting direction; and the movement of the mobile device from the first position toward the correcting direction to move the mobile device to the initial position and enable automatic docking of the charging station.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a mobile device including a sensor, a moving component, a storage device, and a processor. The sensor is used to detect the relative distance and orientation between a charging station and a charging station. The moving member includes a plurality of rollers. The storage device stores a plurality of predetermined feature point information corresponding to the charging station. The processor is coupled to the sensor and the storage device for defining an initial position of the corresponding charging station, controlling the moving component to move the mobile device to a first position, and obtaining one of the plurality of characteristic points including the charging station through the sensor Identifying the data, comparing the identification data with the predetermined feature point information, generating a comparison result, obtaining a direction from the first position to the initial position as a correction direction according to the comparison result, and controlling the moving component to make the mobile device first The position is moved in the correcting direction to move the mobile device to the initial position and enable an automatic docking operation of the charging station.

With regard to other additional features and advantages of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make some modifications to the mobile device and related control method disclosed in the implementation method of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Retouched and got.

100‧‧‧Mobile devices

110‧‧‧ Sensor

120‧‧‧ processor

130‧‧‧Storage device

140‧‧‧Navigation module

150‧‧‧moving components

200‧‧‧Charging station

TA, LA, RA‧‧‧ areas

A, A1, A2, A3‧‧‧definite feature point information

S302, S304, S306, S308‧‧‧ steps

O, P1, P2‧‧‧ position

d ₁ , d ₂ ‧‧‧ distance

θ _a , θ _b , θ _c ‧‧‧ angle

X ₁ , X ₂ , Y ₁ , Y ₂ ‧‧‧ coordinates

401, 402, 403‧‧‧ rays

S502, S504, S506, S508, S510, S512‧‧‧ steps

1A and 1B are schematic views showing a mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a schematic view showing the appearance of a charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2B to 2E show the established special corresponding to the embodiment of FIG. 2A A schematic diagram of the information.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing a control method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4C are diagrams showing coordinate system conversion and initial position calculation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing a control method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more <RTIgt; It is to be understood that the following description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention is intended to illustrate the spirit of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It is understood that the following embodiments may be via software, hardware, and firmware. Or in any combination of the above.

The embodiment of the invention provides a mobile device and a control method thereof, which can improve the chance of completing the automatic stop charging station, and can measure the relative distance between the charging station and the mobile device by using the sensor when the mobile device needs to return to the charging station. Orientation, set an optimal return position that can enable Auto-Docking, and move the mobile device to the optimal return position, which can effectively improve the automatic stop charging of the mobile device outside the effective area of the charging station. The success rate of the station, while shortening the time required for the mobile device to find the effective area of the charging station outside the effective area, enables the mobile device to stop at a faster and more efficient returning charging station and allows the user to obtain a better user experience.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a mobile device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1A, the mobile device 100 can be any mobile device with autonomous mobility and navigation functions, such as a cleaning robot (cleaning) A robot or other robot that can move freely or move according to a predetermined route, and can return to the charging station 200 to park or charge when the task or power is insufficient. Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B , the mobile device 100 includes one or more sensors 110 , a processor 120 , a storage device 130 , a navigation module 140 , and a moving member 150 . The sensor 110 can be any sensor that can be used to detect the relative distance and orientation between an object in the environment in which the mobile device 100 is located, such as the charging station 200 or other obstacle and the mobile device 100, such as Lida (Lidar) ), an image sensor (for example, a depth of field camera), an Ultrasound sensor, a laser sensor, or a combination of the foregoing various elements, but the invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the sensor 110 can further include an infrared sensor that can be used to receive the infrared signal emitted by the charging station 200 to assist in confirming the location of the charging station 200.

In an embodiment, the sensor 110 can be disposed above the mobile device 100, and can be rotated 360 degrees to scan an object such as an obstacle or a charging station 200 of the environment of the mobile device 100, and obtain characteristics of the object. Point information, but the invention is not limited thereto. Specifically, the sensor 110 can perform distance sensing on the periphery of the mobile device 100 to continuously collect the surrounding environment, and provide environment-related various sensor information to the processor 120 for judging whether Obstacle or charging station and the relative distance and orientation between the two. For example, taking the sensor 110 as a light source, the mobile device 100 can scan and analyze the reflection signals of the surrounding environment and the receiving object by transmitting one or more laser beams, and measure the flight time of the light pulse. Further, the relative distance and the azimuth angle between the mobile device 100 and the object are determined, and whether there is an object around the mobile device 100 is grasped, and the feature point information of the object is generated according to the relative distance and orientation of the mobile device 100 and the object. Where the feature point information of an object can be used to indicate the The appearance of the object is generated by the sensor 110 when the object is scanned according to the reflected signal. Specifically, the object is a three-dimensional object in the environment, and the sensor 110 emits a signal (for example, laser light, etc.) to scan a certain angle, and when the sensor 110 sends a signal (for example, laser light, etc.) to scan the surrounding environment and scans. When the signal contacts the surface of an object, the sensor 110 can receive some reflection signals at different angles and distances according to the appearance of the object. Therefore, the scanner 110 can be based on the relative when receiving the reflected signals. The angle and distance information produces feature point information indicative of the appearance characteristics of the object.

In some embodiments, the sensor 110 can also include a sensor for detecting the orientation information of the mobile device 100, can provide the traveling orientation information of the mobile device 100, and can also assist the mobile device 100 in recognizing the steering when steering. The angle or the like is, for example, an electronic compass, a gyroscope, or other inertial measurement device, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The storage device 130 can be a non-volatile storage medium (for example, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Flash memory, hard disk, CD, etc.), volatile storage media (for example: random A random access memory (RAM), or any combination of the two, for storing related data, such as intermediate data and execution result data in the operation process. The storage device 130 can also be used to store a set of instructions and/or code program modules executable by the processor 120. Generally, a program module includes a routine, a program, an object, a component, and the like. The storage device 130 can further store various items required for the operation, such as: graphic information, sensor information, or a plurality of preset feature point information about the charging station and/or the obstacle, and the like. The storage device 130 may further include a database to be compared (not shown), to be compared The predetermined feature point information corresponding to the charging station 200 and/or the predetermined feature point information of the obstacle near the charging station 200 may be stored in the database. In this context, the information of a feature point of an object indicates information about a feature point of an object detected by the sensor 110 of the mobile device 100 when the feature point is detected by the object, wherein the feature point related information of the object may be Indicates the relative distance and angle between the feature points of the detected object and the mobile device 100. For example, if the sensor 110 is light and the object is the charging station 200, the sensor 110 can emit laser light to the charging station 200 when the laser light hits the surface of the charging station 200. At the same time, the partial or total appearance of the charging station 200 is detected as the relative distance and angle difference between the mobile device 100 and the charging station 200, so that different feature point information of a fixed interval can be obtained. For example, if an object has a line, its corresponding feature point information contains several feature points on the same line. In some embodiments, charging station 200 can have a particular appearance feature, such as charging station 200 can be designed with a particular shape or line on a side profile. See Figure 2A. FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of a charging station 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2A, in the present embodiment, the side surface of the charging station 200 is designed with two right angles, the pitch of which is parallel to the lines extending at two right angles. It can be understood that the appearance of the charging station 200 of FIG. 2A is for illustrative purposes only, and the present invention is not limited to the appearance of the charging station 200. In other words, the present invention is applicable to any appearance shape that can be clearly recognized as the charging station 200.

In an embodiment, the predetermined feature point data indicates that the control device 100 starts from a preset initial position, and scans the feature point information obtained by the charging station 200 through the sensor 110 at different angles. This initial position represents the location at which the mobile device 100 can return to the optimal point of the charging station 200. In an embodiment, initially The start position is set to a position within a certain angle range directly in front of the charging station 200 (for example, 50 cm in front).

Referring to FIGS. 2B to 2E, there are shown schematic diagrams of predetermined feature point information corresponding to the appearance of the charging station 200 of FIG. 2A. Fig. 2B shows a predetermined feature point information A corresponding to the appearance of the charging station 200 of Fig. 2A, wherein the predetermined feature point information A includes two right angle feature points corresponding to both sides of the charging station 200 of Fig. 2A. Please also refer to Figure 1A. 2C is a diagram showing the predetermined detection by the sensor 110 when the mobile device 100 is located in a target area directly in front of the charging station 200 (such as the area TA shown in FIG. 1A) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic diagram of the feature point information A1, which shows the sensor 110 when the mobile device 100 is located in the left region outside the target area of the charging station 200 (such as the LA shown in FIG. 1A) according to an embodiment of the present invention. A schematic diagram of the detected feature point information A2, and a second E-picture showing a right side region of the mobile device 100 outside the target area of the charging station 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention (such as the RA shown in FIG. 1A) )) A schematic diagram of the feature point information A3 detected by the sensor 110. The target area TA is defined as a range of areas in which the automatic stop charging station program of the mobile device 100 can be enabled, for example, within a certain angle range directly in front of the charging station 200. That is, when the mobile device 100 is in the target area TA, the automatic stop charging station program of the mobile device 100 will be enabled and can be docked to the charging station 200. As shown in FIG. 2C, when the mobile device 100 is located in the target area TA directly in front of the charging station 200, the sensor 110 can substantially detect all the feature point information on both sides of the charging station 200. The predetermined feature point information A1 includes feature points of two right angles on both sides. When the mobile device 100 is located in the left area LA outside the target area of the charging station 200, the sensor 110 can only detect the left half of the charging station 200 at this time. Point, the detected feature point information only contains the local feature points in the left half, so the predetermined feature point information A2 includes the two right-angle feature points on the left side, as shown in the 2D figure. Similarly, when the mobile device 100 is located in the right area RA outside the target area of the charging station 200, the sensor 110 can only detect the right half feature point of the charging station 200, and the detected features. The point information only contains the local feature points of the right half, so the predetermined feature point information A3 contains the two right-angle feature points on the right side, as shown in FIG. 2E. It can be seen from FIG. 2D and FIG. 2E that although the feature point information only includes the local feature point information of the charging station 200, it can be seen that the feature point information includes two right-angle appearance features on the side. Therefore, after the processor 120 obtains the feature point information of the unknown object to be identified, the feature point information to be identified may be matched with the feature point information in the database to be compared, and according to whether the feature point arrangement has A particular appearance is used to determine if the object is a charging station 200.

The processor 120 is coupled to the sensor 110, the storage device 130, the navigation module 140, and the moving component 150. The instruction set and/or the code may be loaded and executed from the storage device 130 to control the sensor 110. The storage device 130, the navigation module 140, and the moving member 150 operate to perform the control method of the present invention. The above control method includes the following steps: when it is required to return to the charging station 200 to stop, first determine whether the first position currently located is at a defined initial position or a target area corresponding to the initial position, and when determining that the first position is within the target area When it is enabled to automatically stop the operation of the charging station 200, the mobile device 100 returns to the charging station 200 to park or charge; and when it is determined that the first position is outside the target area, the complex feature point of the charging station 200 is obtained through the sensor 110. An identification data, comparing the identification data with a plurality of predetermined feature point information of the corresponding charging station 200, Generating a comparison result, obtaining a direction from the first position where the mobile device 100 is located to the designated position in the target area as a correction direction according to the comparison result, and moving the mobile device 100 from the first position toward the correction direction, The operation of moving the mobile device 100 to a designated location and enabling automatic docking of the charging station will be described later. The processor 120 can be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor (Micro-Control Unit (MCU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a digital signal processor (Digital Signal). Processor, DSP, etc., to provide data analysis, processing and calculation functions.

The navigation module 140 can perform a path planning according to the current location of the mobile device 100 and a destination, thereby obtaining a planning path, and the processor 120 can control the navigation module 140 to perform navigation, so that the mobile device 100 can advance according to the planned path. To the destination. In some embodiments, the navigation module 140 can further include a global planner (not shown) and a local planner (not shown) for generating a plan to the destination. The path is also suitable for obstacle avoidance for navigation. The global planner is responsible for planning the best global path from the mobile device 100 to the designated location, and the local planner is responsible for the global planner according to the surrounding information of the real environment of the mobile device 100. The global path is provided, the optimal local path is planned and the dynamic obstacle avoidance operation is performed. Finally, the processor 120 controls the moving component 150 to drive the mobile device 100 to start walking according to the planned path to complete the navigation. For example, the Global Planner can generate a trajectory that does not touch obstacles in the map, that is, the best global path to the designated location, based on the destination and the pre-built global map. ). however, If there is only this optimal global path, the mobile device 100 can only navigate in a static environment, because as long as the scene is different from the map, the originally planned best global path may hit the obstacle. Therefore, the regional planner can obtain the surrounding information of the environment according to the sensing result of the sensor 110, and cooperate with the global path provided by the global planner to plan an optimal local path to dynamically avoid the obstacle. That is to say, the navigation module 140 can plan a global path from the current location to the designated location (destination) through the global planner, and dynamically avoid obstacles through the regional planner to generate a local path to avoid the planned global path. The obstacles in the to complete the navigation.

The moving member 150 can be a roller, a track or the like. The mobile device 100 can be moved into the environment by the moving component 150. The processor 120 can control the traveling route of the mobile device 100 by controlling the moving component 150, and navigate according to the planned path to navigate the mobile device 100 to the destination. .

It can be understood that each of the above components or modules is a device having a corresponding function, and may have appropriate hardware circuits or components to perform corresponding functions. However, the device is not limited to having a physical entity, and A virtual program, software, or device that handles, runs, or software. For the manner in which the above components operate, the following description of the corresponding method can be further referred to.

Figure 3 is a flow chart showing a control method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The control method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the mobile device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. For example, the method can be performed by the processor 120 of the mobile device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Please refer to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIGS. 2A to 2E simultaneously. In this embodiment, it is assumed to move The device 100 defines in advance a position of a predetermined distance directly in front of the charging station 200 as an initial position of the corresponding charging station 200 and the charging device including the charging stations as shown in FIGS. 2B to 2E has been stored in the storage device 130 in advance. 200 characteristic feature point information. Wherein, when the mobile device 100 is in the initial position O, the operation of automatically stopping the charging station 200 can be enabled and the target area (for example, the TA shown in FIG. 1A) can be defined according to a predetermined range of the initial position.

First, when the mobile device 100 needs to return to the charging station 200 to park or charge when the task is completed or the power is insufficient, the processor 120 moves the mobile device 100 to a first position and enables the sensor 110 to perform the first step. The feature point detection of the charging station 200 is performed by the sensor 110 to obtain identification data of a plurality of feature points of the charging station 200. In this step, the sensor 110 can perform feature point detection on the appearance feature point of the charging station 200 after moving to the first position, and can obtain the corresponding charging station 200 by detecting the feature point of the appearance of the charging station 200. The feature point detection result of the relative distance and the orientation with the mobile device 100, and the processor 120 obtains an identification data about the feature point information of the charging station 200 according to the feature point detection result of the sensor 110. Through the feature point information of the object, the processor 120 can identify a particular dynamic or static environment or object (such as a charging station, an obstacle or a person), and can determine the location of the charging station 200 accordingly.

In some embodiments, if an obstacle such as a table is included in addition to the charging station 200 in the environment, the sensor 110 may simultaneously acquire the data to be identified of the plurality of objects, and it is necessary to determine which is the charging station 200. Therefore, the step of the processor 120 obtaining the identification data of the feature points of the charging station 200 through the sensor 110 may further include: acquiring, by the sensor 110, a to-be-identified data of an object, wherein the to-be-identified data includes Complex feature of an object Point feature point information; determine whether the data to be identified has a predetermined feature point arrangement; if the data to be identified does not have a predetermined feature point arrangement, determine that the object is an obstacle; and if the data to be identified has a predetermined feature point arrangement, the determination object is The charging station 200 uses the data to be identified of the object as identification data. For example, in one embodiment, the charging station 200 can have a particular appearance feature such as a special shape or line on the side profile (as shown in FIG. 2A), and the processor 120 determines whether the data to be identified has a predetermined feature. The dot arrangement determines whether the arrangement of the feature points in the data to be identified conforms to a specific appearance feature in the predetermined feature point data of the charging station 200. That is, the processor 120 can determine, according to the identification data, whether the arrangement of the feature points in the object to be identified conforms to the specific appearance of the particular shape or line (as shown in FIG. 2B), when the detected feature When the point information conforms/has a special shape or line, it indicates that the side of the object has a specified special shape or line, so that the object can be determined to be the charging station 200. On the other hand, if the data to be identified does not have a predetermined feature point arrangement, the object is determined to be an obstacle.

After obtaining the identification data of the charging station 200, in step S304, the processor 120 generates a comparison result based on the plurality of predetermined feature point information of the identification data and the corresponding charging station 200, and obtains a comparison result according to the comparison result according to step S306. The direction in which the first position where the mobile device 100 is located points to the initial position as a correction direction. Specifically, each predetermined feature point information may correspond to an offset direction, and the processor 120 may set the identification data and each of the predetermined feature point information of the corresponding charging station (for example, the presets shown in FIG. 2B to FIG. 2E). The feature point information A, A1, A2 and A3) are compared one by one and according to the comparison result, the first predetermined feature point information is found from the to-be-matched database, and then according to the first predetermined feature point information. The corresponding first offset direction determines the correction direction. Correction direction can be The opposite direction of the first offset direction.

In other words, the processor 120 can determine whether the mobile device 100 deviates from the specified initial position according to the identification data corresponding to the charging station 200 detected by the sensor 110. In case the processor 120 detects that the mobile device 100 has moved away from the initial position and moves in an offset direction, the moving member 150 drives the mobile device 100 to switch back from the offset direction to the correction direction and continuously to the correction direction. For example, when the identification data is similar to the predetermined feature point information A2 of the 2D map, the processor 120 may determine that the mobile device 100 may be located in the left area of the target area according to the comparison result, indicating that the mobile device 100 may be shifted to the left. At this time, the mobile device 100 should be moved to the right to return to the target area, so that the offset direction is determined to be leftward and the correction direction is to the right. Similarly, when the identification data is similar to the predetermined feature point information A3 of FIG. 2E, the processor 120 may determine that the mobile device 100 may be located in the right area of the target area according to the comparison result, indicating that the mobile device 100 may be shifted to the right. At this time, the mobile device 100 should be moved to the left to return to the target area, so that the offset direction is determined to be rightward and the correction direction is leftward. It can be understood that, since the predetermined feature point information is generated under a preset distance (for example, the preset distance is 50 cm directly in front of the charging station 200), if the first position where the mobile device 100 is located is not at the preset distance. The obtained feature point information is not completely matched. At this time, the processor 110 can obtain the relative angle between the two by performing a feature matching such as shifting or moving a specific angle.

It is noted that, in some embodiments, since the predetermined feature information A1 of the FIG. 2C indicates the feature point information corresponding to the charging station 200 of the mobile device 100 in the target area TA, when the comparison result indicates the identification data corresponds to When the first predetermined feature point information is the predetermined feature information A1, it indicates that the mobile device 100 is not Offset, you can set its offset direction to straight.

In some embodiments, the processor 120 may further calculate the initial position relative to the control device 100 by using the relative coordinate information between a specified first feature point of the charging station 200 and the current position of the mobile device 100. Coordinate position. The initial position indicates that the mobile device 100 can return to the position where the optimal point of the charging station 200 is located, and the designated first feature point is a feature point that can recognize the appearance of the charging station 200. In an embodiment, the initial position is set to a position within a certain angular range directly in front of the charging station 200. Then, the processor 120 calculates the direction and distance of the initial position by using the principle of coordinate system conversion, so that the mobile device 100 can effectively move to the initial position and smoothly complete the action of automatically stopping the charging station.

4A to 4C are diagrams showing coordinate system conversion and initial position calculation according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A shows a relationship between the first coordinate system corresponding to the mobile device 100 and the charging station feature point P1. A schematic diagram of the relative coordinates, FIG. 4B shows a relative coordinate diagram of the second coordinate system corresponding to the feature point P1 of the charging station 200 and the initial position P2, and FIG. 4C shows that the initial position P2 corresponds to the relative coordinate of the first coordinate system. Schematic diagram of the coordinates. As shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the first coordinate system corresponding to the mobile device 100 is based on the coordinates of the first position O where the sensor 110 of the mobile device 100 is currently located as the origin (0, 0), and the mobile device 100 is The relative distance of the first feature point (hereinafter referred to as charging station feature point) P1 specified in the charging station 200 is d ₁ , and the first angle between the d ₁ and the ray 401 passing through the sensor 110 of the mobile device 100 is θ _a and is charged. When the first coordinate position of the station feature point P1 relative to the first coordinate system is (X ₁ , Y ₁ ), the processor 120 can determine that the charging station feature point P1 is relatively in the first coordinate system via the following formula (1). At a first coordinate position (X ₁ , Y ₁ ) of the mobile device 100: X ₁ =cos( θ _a )× d ₁ ; and Y ₁ =sin( θ _a )× d ₁ ......... .......(1).

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the second coordinate system corresponding to the charging station feature point P1, the coordinate of the charging station feature point P1 is taken as the origin (0, 0) and its angle value is 0, and the initial position P2 is pre- A point at which the center position of the target area directly in front of the charging station 200 is set, the ray 402 is a virtual ray passing through the initial position P2 and perpendicular to the charging station 200, and the relative distance between the charging station characteristic point P1 and the initial position P2 is d ₂ , charging The relative distance of the station feature point P1 to the ray 402 is y ₂ , then in the second coordinate system, the coordinates of the initial position P2 can be expressed as (-x ₂ , -y ₂ ), and the processor 120 can be based on the coordinates of the initial position P2. The following formula (2) is obtained: d ₂ ² = x ₂ ² + y ₂ ² ; Where θ _b is the second angle between the ray 402 and the imaginary ray 403 passing through the charging station feature point P1 and the initial position P2 to indicate the relative orientation of the charging station feature point P1 and the initial position P2.

Next, the processor 120 may calculate the initial position P2 relative to the third coordinate position of the first coordinate system (X ₂ , Y ₂ ) by using the coordinate conversion to calculate the initial position P2 based on the first coordinate system and the following formula (3). ): X ₂ = X ₁ -cos( θ _b + θ _c ); and Y ₂ = Y ₁ -sin( θ _b + θ _c )................(3 Where θ _c is the corresponding angle of the charging station feature point P1 to indicate the relative orientation of the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, as shown in FIG. 4C. Thereby, the processor 120 can obtain the direction and distance from the first position O where the mobile device 100 is located to the initial position P2 as the correction direction and distance according to the coordinate conversion, so that the mobile device 100 can correctly move to the initial position P2. .

Referring to FIG. 3 again, after obtaining the correction direction, in step S308, the processor 120 controls the moving member 150 to move the mobile device 100 from the currently located first position toward the correction direction to move the mobile device 100 to the initial position and Enable automatic docking of the charging station. Specifically, the processor 120 may perform a path planning according to the initial position and the calculated correction direction, and control the traveling path of the control device by controlling the moving member 150, and navigate according to the planned path or the corrected direction of the indication, so that the mobile device 100 Advancing toward the initial position to navigate the mobile device 100 into the target area of the charging station 200. For example, the processor 120 controls the wheel speed and steering of the moving member 150 to control the operation of the mobile device 100, such as straight, swivel or obstacle avoidance, to advance the mobile device 100 toward the initial position. In the embodiment of the present invention, since the initial position is a position that can be set to enable the operation of the automatic stop charging station of the mobile device 100, the mobile device 100 can successfully return to the charging after the mobile device 100 moves to the initial position. Station 200 is docked or charged.

Therefore, the processor 120 can automatically execute the control method of the present case when the mobile device 100 completes the task or the power shortage needs to return to the charging station 200 to park or charge, so that the mobile device 100 has an opportunity even when the target area is outside the defined target area. Returning to a designated location within the target area to successfully enable automatic docking of the charging station, enabling the mobile device 100 to successfully return to the charging station 200.

In some embodiments, charging station 200 can have a target area that can enable automatic docking of the charging station program, while mobile device 100 is at the destination of charging station 200. The above automatic stop charging station program can be automatically enabled in the marked area. Therefore, before the mobile device 100 obtains the identification data of the charging station 200, the mobile device 100 determines whether the first location where the mobile device 100 is located is within the target area. When it is determined that the first position is within the target area, indicating that the sensor 110 is not scanned, the mobile device 100 enables automatic operation of the charging station to cause the control device 110 to dock to the charging station 200. When it is determined that the first location is outside the target area, it indicates that the sensor 110 is required to scan. At this time, the mobile device 100 detects the appearance of the charging station 200 through the sensor 110, and obtains the feature point information of the charging station 200 according to the detection result. And determining the relative distance and orientation between the charging station 200 and the mobile device 100 according to the feature point information, thereby calculating a target position (ie, the initial position) within the target area of the charging station 200, and driving the mobile device 100 moves to the target location to move the mobile device 100 into the target area, thereby enabling/enabling the automatic docking of the charging station program.

Figure 5 is a flow chart showing a control method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The control method according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the mobile device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. For example, the method can be performed by the processor 120 of the mobile device 100 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Please refer to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B and FIGS. 2A to 2E simultaneously. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the mobile device 100 defines a position of a preset distance directly in front of the charging station 200 as an initial position of the corresponding charging station 200 and the storage device 130 has been stored in advance including the image as shown in FIG. 2B. The predetermined feature point information of the charging station 200 shown in Fig. 2E. Wherein, when the mobile device 100 is in the initial position, the operation of the charging station 200 can be automatically stopped and the target area (for example, the TA shown in FIG. 1A) can be defined according to a predetermined range of the specified position. In this embodiment, the sensor 110 A receiving device for receiving a transmit signal from the charging station 200 can be included. For example, the charging station 200 can have an infrared emitter for transmitting an infrared signal, and the sensor 110 includes an infrared sensor/receiver for receiving the infrared signal emitted by the charging station 200.

First, in step S502, the processor 120 determines whether the current location falls within the target area of the charging station 200. In some embodiments, the charging station 200 can transmit an infrared signal, and the processor 120 determines whether the current location is within the target area of the charging station 200, depending on whether an infrared signal emitted by the charging station 200 is received. When the processor 120 receives the infrared signal from the charging station 200, it indicates that the current location of the mobile device 100 is within the target area of the charging station 200. When the processor 120 does not receive the infrared signal from the charging station 200, it indicates that the current location of the mobile device 100 is outside the target area of the charging station 200.

When the processor 120 determines that the current location of the mobile device 100 is within the target area of the charging station (YES in step S502), the processor 120 automatically triggers and executes the automatic docking charging station program (step S512). The automatic docking charging station program will direct the mobile device 100 back to the charging station 200.

Conversely, when the processor 120 determines that the current location is outside the target area of the charging station 200 (NO in step S502), in step S504, when the mobile device 100 cannot trigger the automatic docking charging station procedure, the processor 120 causes The sensor 110 performs feature point detection of the charging station 200, and acquires identification data of a plurality of feature points of the charging station 200 through the sensor 110. In this step, the sensor 110 can perform feature point detection on the appearance feature points of the charging station 200, and the processor 120 obtains the feature points about the charging station 200 according to the feature point detection result of the sensor 110. And, according to this, the location of the charging station 200 is judged. For example, the charging station 200 can be designed with a special shape or line on one side (such as two right angles shown in FIG. 2A), and the processor 120 can determine the detected feature point information according to the detection result. Whether it meets the characteristic point information of a special shape or line (such as the two right angles of the feature points shown in Figure 2A, the spacing is parallel to the lines extending at two right angles, etc.), when detected When the feature point information conforms to the feature point information of a special shape or line, it indicates that the side of the object has a specified special shape or line, so that the object can be determined to be the charging station 200.

After obtaining the identification data of the charging station 200, in step S506, the processor 120 generates a comparison result based on the identification data of the identification data and the corresponding feature point information of the corresponding charging station 200, and obtains a comparison result according to the comparison result according to step S508. The first position where the mobile device 100 is located points in the direction of the initial position as a correction direction. In step S508, the processor 120 may further calculate the coordinate information between the specified feature points of the charging station 200 and the current position of the mobile device 100 via the coordinate system conversion of the above formulas (1) to (3). The relative distance and orientation of the initial position are obtained, and the correction direction and the correction angle are obtained accordingly. The initial position indicates that the mobile device 100 can return to the location of the best point within the target area of the charging station 200. In one embodiment, the initial position is set to a position within a range of angles directly in front of the charging station 200 (eg, a sector range of plus or minus 50 degrees directly 50 degrees from the front of the charging station 200).

After the processor 120 calculates the relative coordinates of the initial position or obtains the corrected direction, in step S510, the processor 120 moves the mobile device 100 from the currently located first position toward the correcting direction to move the mobile device 100 to the initial position and Step S512, automatically triggering and executing self after moving to the initial position Stop the charging station program. As described above, the processor 120 can determine whether the mobile device 100 deviates from the specified initial position according to the identification data corresponding to the charging station 200 detected by the sensor 110. In case the processor 120 detects that the mobile device 100 has moved away from the initial position and moves in an offset direction, the moving member 150 drives the mobile device 100 to switch back from the offset direction to the correction direction and continuously to the correction direction. The steps S504, S506, S508, and S510 are similar to the steps S302, S304, S306, and S308. For related implementation details, reference may be made to the corresponding paragraphs, and details are not described herein.

Therefore, the mobile device and the control method thereof according to the present invention can measure the relative distance between the charging station and the mobile device by using the sensor when the mobile device needs to return to the charging station and is located outside the effective area of the charging station. Orientation, setting an optimal return position that enables the automatic docking of the charging station program, and moving the mobile device to the optimal return position, preventing the mobile device from moving outside the active area of the charging station, resulting in not yet returning to the effective position The area is the power consumption or takes a long time to return to the charging station, effectively improving the success rate of the mobile device automatically stopping the charging station outside the effective area of the charging station, and shortening the mobile device to find the charging station outside the effective area. The time required for the active area.

The method of the invention, or a particular type or portion thereof, may exist in the form of a code. The code may be included in a physical medium such as a floppy disk, a CD, a hard disk, or any other machine readable (such as computer readable) storage medium, or is not limited to an external computer program product, wherein When the code is loaded and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. The code can also be transmitted via some transmission medium, such as a wire or cable, fiber optics, or any transmission type, where the code is used by a machine, such as a computer. Upon receipt, loading, and execution, the machine becomes a device for participating in the present invention. When implemented in a general purpose processing unit, the code combination processing unit provides a unique means of operation similar to application specific logic.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. . For example, the systems and methods described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in physical embodiments of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (16)

A control method for a mobile device having a sensor for detecting a relative distance and orientation with a charging station, the method comprising the steps of: defining an initial position of a corresponding one of the charging stations When the mobile device is in the initial position, the operation of the charging station can be automatically stopped; the mobile device is moved to a first position and the plurality of feature points including the charging station are obtained through the sensor. An identification data; generating a comparison result according to the identification data and a plurality of predetermined feature point information corresponding to the charging station; and obtaining, by the comparison result, the first position where the mobile device is located to point to the initial position The direction acts as a correcting direction; and moving the mobile device from the first position toward the correcting direction to move the mobile device to the initial position and enable the automatic docking operation of the charging station. The control method of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the identification data of the plurality of feature points of the charging station through the sensor further comprises: obtaining, by the sensor, one of the objects to be identified Data, wherein the to-be-identified data includes data about a plurality of feature points of the object; determining whether the to-be-identified data has a predetermined feature point arrangement; and if the to-be-identified data does not have the predetermined feature point arrangement, determining the object as an obstacle And if the to-be-identified data has the predetermined feature point arrangement, determining that the object is the charging station and using the to-be-identified data of the object as the identification data. The control method of claim 2, wherein the charging station has a specific appearance feature and the determining whether the to-be-identified data has the predetermined feature point arrangement determines an arrangement of the feature points in the to-be-identified data. Whether this particular appearance feature is met. The control method of claim 1, further comprising: defining a target area corresponding to the initial position; and before obtaining the identification data including the feature points of the charging station through the sensor, Determining whether the first location where the mobile device is located is within the target area; and when determining that the first location is within the target area, enabling the operation of automatically stopping the charging station, causing the control device to stop to the charging And determining, when the first location is outside the target area, obtaining the identification data of the feature points of the charging station through the sensor. The control method of claim 4, wherein the mobile device further comprises receiving means for receiving one of the charging signals of the charging station and determining whether the first location of the mobile device is in the target area Determining, according to whether the receiving device receives the transmitting signal of the charging station in the first location, wherein when the receiving device receives the transmitting signal of the charging station in the first location, determining that the first location is Within the target area. The control method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined feature point data indicates that the control device scans the feature point information obtained by the charging station at different angles from the initial position. The control method of claim 1, wherein each of the predetermined feature point information corresponds to an offset direction, and the obtained result is obtained according to the comparison result The step of pointing the first position of the mobile device to the initial position as the correction direction further comprises: selecting a first predetermined feature point information from the predetermined feature point information according to the comparison result; Obtaining a first offset direction according to the first predetermined feature point information; and obtaining the correction direction according to the first offset direction. The control method of claim 1, wherein the initial position is a position of a predetermined distance directly in front of the charging station, and the target area is defined according to a predetermined range of the specified position. The control method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is based on a relative distance between the sensor and the feature points of the charging station when the mobile device senses the charging station. Obtain the identification data with the azimuth angle. A mobile device includes: a sensor for detecting a relative distance and an orientation with a charging station; a moving member including a plurality of rollers; and a storage device for storing a plurality of predetermined feature points corresponding to the charging station And a processor coupled to the sensor and the storage device, defining an initial position of the charging station, controlling the moving component to move the mobile device to a first position and obtaining the inclusion through the sensor One of the plurality of characteristic points of the charging station identifies the data, and the comparison data is compared with the predetermined feature point information to generate a comparison result, and the direction from the first position to the initial position is obtained according to the comparison result. As a correcting direction, and controlling the moving member to make the mobile device The first position is moved in the correcting direction to move the mobile device to the initial position and to enable an automatic docking operation of the charging station. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor further obtains, by the sensor, an object to be identified, wherein the data to be identified includes information about a plurality of feature points of the object, and Determining whether the to-be-identified data has a predetermined feature point arrangement, wherein if the to-be-identified data does not have the predetermined feature point arrangement, the processor determines that the object is an obstacle and if the to-be-identified data has the predetermined feature point arrangement, The processor determines that the object is the charging station and uses the to-be-identified data of the object as the identification data. The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the charging station has a specific appearance feature and the processor determines whether the to-be-identified data has the predetermined feature point arrangement and determines the feature points in the to-be-identified data. Whether the arrangement matches the particular appearance feature. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor further defines a target area corresponding to the initial position, and obtains the identification data including the feature points of the charging station through the sensor. Before determining whether the first location of the mobile device is in the target area, when determining that the first location is within the target area, the processor enables the operation of automatically stopping the charging station, so that the The control device is docked to the charging station, and when it is determined that the first location is outside the target area, the processor obtains the identification data of the feature points of the charging station through the sensor. The mobile device of claim 13, further comprising receiving means for receiving one of the charging signals of the charging station, and the processor determining whether the first location of the mobile device is within the target area According to the Determining whether the receiving device receives the transmitting signal of the charging station in the first location, wherein when the receiving device receives the transmitting signal of the charging station in the first location, the processor determines that the first location is in the Within the target area. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein each of the predetermined feature point information corresponds to an offset direction, and the processor further selects one of the predetermined feature point information according to the comparison result. A predetermined feature point information is obtained according to the first predetermined feature point information, and a first offset direction is obtained, and the correction direction is obtained according to the first offset direction. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the sensor is a light.