WO2018170674A1

WO2018170674A1 - Control device and control method for cleaning robot

Info

Publication number: WO2018170674A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/077287
Authority: WO
Inventors: 廖建强
Original assignee: 廖建强
Priority date: 2017-03-20
Filing date: 2017-03-20
Publication date: 2018-09-27

Abstract

A control device and a control method for a cleaning robot, which relate to the technical field of intelligent electrical appliances. By means of the control device and the control method, dividing an area where a cleaning robot is located into a plurality of sub-areas, wherein each sub-area is a minimum cleaning area unit, so that the cleaning robot can carry out partition cleaning on the area. By means of the control device and method, the cleaning robot can also be limited to move to the next sub-area for cleaning after cleaning the previous sub-area; and the calibration of the previous sub-area is recorded as a cleaned area, thereby preventing the cleaning robot from repeatedly cleaning or missing cleaning a certain area, which greatly improves the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

Description

Control device and control method for sweeping robot

Technical field

The invention relates to the technical field of intelligent electrical appliances, in particular to a control device and a control method of a cleaning robot.

Background technique

At present, the smart home appliance industry is booming, and more and more people are choosing to buy smart home appliances to improve their quality of life. Among them, the sweeping robot is a small-sized smart home appliance. Because of its moderate price, wide application and convenient use, the sweeping robot has become the smart home appliance of choice. The sweeping robot is usually cleaned in the target cleaning area set by the remote control. This needs to be used to preset the target cleaning area. After cleaning the target cleaning area, the cleaning robot will stop cleaning and the user needs to reset it. A new target cleaning area will allow the sweeping robot to work again. It can be seen that the prior art cleaning robot cannot perform the positioning and recording of the cleaning area by itself, which greatly reduces the working efficiency of the cleaning robot.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is that the cleaning robot in the prior art cannot address and record the cleaning area by itself, which causes the cleaning robot to repeatedly clean or omit a certain area. Therefore, the cleaning efficiency of the sweeping robot is lowered.

In order to solve the above technical problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control device for a cleaning robot, and the control device includes a control module, a camera module, a positioning module, and a communication module, wherein

The camera module is configured to acquire a panoramic environment image of a region where the cleaning robot is located;

The control module is configured to convert the panoramic environment image into a two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image, and divide the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image into a plurality of sub-regions;

The control module is further configured to set a movement exclusion zone in each sub-area and plan an optimal movement path of the cleaning robot in each sub-area;

The control module is further configured to control the sweeping robot to move along the optimal moving path and perform cleaning;

Further, the positioning module is an angular velocity sensor, a multi-axis acceleration sensor or a wireless scanner;

Further, the communication module is capable of implementing data communication between the control module and an external mobile terminal.

Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a control method of a cleaning robot, where the control method includes:

S01: the control module acquires a panoramic environment image of a region where the cleaning robot is located;

S02: The control module generates a corresponding two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image by using the panoramic environment image, and divides the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image into a plurality of sub-regions;

S03: The control module sets a movement exclusion zone for each sub-area, and plans an optimal movement path of the cleaning robot in the corresponding sub-area according to the movement exclusion zone;

S04: the control module controls the sweeping robot to move along the optimal moving path and perform cleaning, after the cleaning is completed, the sweeping robot moves to the next adjacent sub-area and repeats the steps S01-S04;

Further, in the step S01, the control module generates the panoramic environment image by using a plurality of images of different angles continuously captured by the camera module;

Further, in the step S02, the location area is further scanned by the positioning module to acquire all obstacle information;

Further, in the step S02, the control module further inserts the obstacle information into the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image;

Further, in the step S02, the control module is divided into the plurality of sub-areas by a checkerboard distribution or a straight stripe distribution manner;

Further, in the step S03, the control module divides a boundary of each sub-area and an area occupied by all obstacles in each sub-area into the moving forbidden area;

Further, in the step S04, the control module blocks or deletes the cleaned sub-region from the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panorama.

The present invention provides a control device and a control method for a sweeping robot by the above technical solution, which can divide a sub-region of a region where the sweeping robot is located, and address each sub-region, so that the sweeping robot can be located in the region where the sweeping robot is located Partition cleaning, which can effectively avoid the sweeper The person repeatedly cleans or omits cleaning of an area, thereby reducing the mishandling rate of the cleaning robot and improving the cleaning efficiency.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only It is a certain embodiment of the present invention, and other drawings can be obtained from those skilled in the art without any creative work.

1 is a schematic diagram of a control device for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for controlling a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts are within the scope of the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram of a control device for a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the control device includes a control module, a camera module, a positioning module, and a communication module.

The control module is configured to control the operation of the camera module, the positioning module and the communication module, and the control module is configured to calculate and analyze data detected by the camera module and the positioning module, and the control module is further capable of wirelessly connecting with the external mobile terminal, thereby The user can intelligently control the cleaning robot through the mobile terminal.

The camera module is configured to capture a global area where the cleaning robot is located and a region where the current location is located; the camera module may be a monocular camera module or a binocular camera module, wherein the binocular camera module can take a parallax to the area where the cleaning robot is located. The image of the depth of field, the camera module can perform 360° rotation, thereby achieving panoramic shooting of the area; the camera module can be, but not limited to, a visible light camera module or an infrared light camera module, etc., when the camera module is an infrared light camera module When it prevents obstacles from blocking and cannot obtain a complete image of panoramic shooting; the camera module can also sweep The spot point where the ground robot is currently located is fixed-point shooting to obtain the moving progress of the sweeping robot in real time.

The positioning module is configured to detect a current position of the cleaning robot; the positioning module can be, but not limited to, an angular velocity sensor, a multi-axis acceleration sensor, or a wireless scanner, etc., and the positioning module can detect the movement track of the cleaning robot during the working process. And providing a navigation route for the movement of the cleaning robot; the positioning module transmits the positioning data to the control module in real time, and the control module can timely correct the movement track of the cleaning robot according to the positioning data; in addition, the positioning module can also detect the cleaning robot The distribution of obstacles in the area, so that the sweeping robot can clear the obstacles during the work.

The communication module is used for data transmission between the control module, the camera module and the positioning module, and can also implement data communication between the control module and the external mobile terminal. In particular, the user can control the cleaning robot through a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet or a smart wearable device, and the mobile terminal communicates with the cleaning robot via a Bluetooth connection.

The control module determines the range of the area where the cleaning robot is located by the image captured by the camera module. After receiving the positioning data of the positioning module, the control module calibrates the current location of the cleaning robot and integrates the obstacle distribution in the area. The camera module is shot in the image. The control module divides the local area into a plurality of sub-areas based on the current position after the calibration, and the plurality of sub-areas include corresponding obstacle distribution information, and the control module divides each sub-area boundary and each The area occupied by all the obstacles in the sub-area is set as the moving restricted area of the sweeping robot, and the optimal moving path of the sweeping robot is planned according to each sub-area and its corresponding moving restricted area, which makes the sweeping robot the shortest The sub-area can be cleaned by moving the route. Then, the control module identifies the currently cleaned sub-area as the cleaned area, and drives the sweeping robot to move to the next adjacent sub-area to continue cleaning in the same manner as described above.

It can be seen from the above embodiment that the control device of the cleaning robot can divide the plurality of sub-regions by the region in which it is located, and use each sub-region as the minimum cleaning region unit, so that the cleaning robot can perform a "checkerboard" manner for the region. Cleaning. This does not require the user to pre-set the target cleaning area for the cleaning robot. The control device enables the cleaning robot to find the cleaning range in the area where it is located, and can also accurately plan the moving path of the cleaning robot. This sub-area is divided. The way the sweeping robot can be cleaned with the fastest moving path and can be clearly recorded The area that has been cleaned, thereby preventing the cleaning robot from repeatedly cleaning or missing the cleaning of an area, which greatly improves the cleaning efficiency of the cleaning robot.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for controlling a cleaning robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present invention, the control method includes:

S01: The control module acquires a panoramic environment image of the area where the cleaning robot is located.

Specifically, the control module of the cleaning robot sends an imaging instruction to the camera module, and the camera module performs 360° panoramic shooting on the area where the cleaning robot is located through its built-in rotating structure; during actual operation, the camera module can pass The specific angle range continuously captures the area to obtain a plurality of images at different angles of the area, and the control device splices the images of the plurality of different angles to obtain a panoramic environment image about the area.

The user can also monitor the condition of the image captured by the camera module through the mobile terminal, and the user can control the image capturing area of the camera module and set the imaging parameters such as the imaging frequency and resolution of the camera module through the communication module on the cleaning robot. The camera module can be a monocular camera module or a binocular camera module, wherein the binocular camera module can capture an image with a parallax depth of field in a region where the cleaning robot is located. In addition, the camera module can be, but is not limited to, a visible light camera module or an infrared light camera module. When the camera module is an infrared light camera module, it can prevent obstacles from being blocked and cannot obtain a complete image of panoramic shooting. The camera module can also transmit the image captured in real time to the mobile terminal, so that the user can obtain the moving progress of the cleaning robot in real time.

S02: The control module generates a corresponding two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image through the panoramic environment image, and divides the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image into a plurality of sub-regions.

Specifically, the control device converts the panoramic environment image in the above step S1 into a two-dimensional or three-dimensional panorama with respect to the area in which it is located. The control device also sends an instruction to the positioning module during the panoramic shooting, and controls the positioning module to perform an omnidirectional scanning on the area where the camera is located and to detect the current position of the cleaning robot. The purpose of the omnidirectional scanning of the location area is to obtain the size and distribution of all the obstacles in the area, and the control device fuses the detection result of the obstacle into the panoramic environment image, thereby making the The 2D or 3D panorama contains the corresponding obstacle distribution information. The control module uses the detected position of the cleaning robot as a reference mark dividing the plurality of sub-areas. The plurality of sub-regions may be divided into a checkerboard distribution or a straight stripe distribution.

S03: The control module sets a movement exclusion zone for each sub-area, and plans an optimal movement path of the cleaning robot in the corresponding sub-area according to the movement exclusion zone.

Specifically, the control device sets the boundary of each sub-area and the area occupied by all the obstacles in each sub-area as a moving forbidden area of the sweeping robot, and the setting of the moving restricted area can prevent the sweeping robot from crossing the boundary to the other sub-parts. The area is cleaned and collides with obstacles during the movement, and the sweeping robot is free to move freely in areas other than the moving restricted area of each sub-area.

After setting the movement exclusion zone, the movable range of the sweeping robot in each sub-area can be quantitatively determined. The control module determines an optimal moving path of the cleaning robot according to the movable range of each sub-area. When the cleaning robot moves along the optimal moving path, it can completely cover the sub-area in the shortest distance.

S04: The control module controls the cleaning robot to move along the optimal moving path and perform cleaning. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning robot moves to the next adjacent sub-area and repeats the steps S01-S04.

Specifically, the control module controls the sweeping robot to move along the optimal moving path while achieving the overall cleaning of the sub-area with the shortest moving distance. After the cleaning robot moves along the optimal moving path, the cleaning of the sub-area is also completed, and then the control device calibrates and records the currently cleaned sub-area as the cleaned area, and the cleaned area is removed from the Masking or deleting in a 2D or 3D panorama, then driving the cleaning robot to move to the next adjacent sub-area for cleaning, and the cleaning process of the next sub-area is exactly the same as the cleaning process of the previous sub-area, which can not only Prevents the sweeping robot from moving back to the cleaned sub-area for cleaning, and also enables the sweeping robot to clean the entire area where it is located with a shorter moving path, thereby improving the cleaning efficiency.

It can be seen from the above embodiment that the control device of the cleaning robot can divide the plurality of sub-areas by the area in which it is located, and use each sub-area as the minimum cleaning area unit, so that the cleaning robot can perform the board-like area similar to the "checkerboard". Clean up. This does not require the user to pre-set the target cleaning area for the cleaning robot. The control device enables the cleaning robot to find the cleaning range in the area where it is located, and can also accurately plan the moving path of the cleaning robot. This sub-area is divided. This way, the cleaning robot can be cleaned with the fastest moving path, and the cleaned area can be clearly recorded, thereby preventing the cleaning robot from repeatedly cleaning or missing the cleaning of an area.

One of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the process of implementing the foregoing embodiments can be completed by a computer program to instruct related hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When executed, the flow of an embodiment of the methods as described above may be included. The storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

The above disclosure is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can understand all or part of the process of implementing the above embodiments, and according to the present invention. The equivalent changes required are still within the scope of the invention.

Claims

A control device for a cleaning robot, the control device comprising a control module, a camera module, a positioning module and a communication module, wherein

The camera module is configured to acquire a panoramic environment image of a region where the cleaning robot is located;

The control module is configured to convert the panoramic environment image into a two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image, and divide the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image into a plurality of sub-regions;

The control module is further configured to set a movement exclusion zone in each sub-area and plan an optimal movement path of the cleaning robot in each sub-area;

The control module is further configured to control the sweeping robot to move along the optimal moving path and perform cleaning.
The control device for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein the positioning module is an angular velocity sensor, a multi-axis acceleration sensor, or a wireless scanner.
The control device for a cleaning robot according to claim 1, wherein said communication module is capable of implementing data communication between said control module and an external mobile terminal.
A control method for a sweeping robot, the control method comprising:

S01: the control module acquires a panoramic environment image of a region where the cleaning robot is located;

S02: The control module generates a corresponding two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image by using the panoramic environment image, and divides the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panoramic image into a plurality of sub-regions;

S03: The control module sets a movement exclusion zone for each sub-area, and plans an optimal movement path of the cleaning robot in the corresponding sub-area according to the movement exclusion zone;

S04: The control module controls the cleaning robot to move along the optimal moving path and perform cleaning. After the cleaning is completed, the cleaning robot moves to the next adjacent sub-area and repeats the steps S01-S04.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein in the step S01, the control module generates the panoramic environment image by a plurality of images of different angles continuously captured by the camera module.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein in step S02, the obstacle area is further scanned by the positioning module to acquire all obstacle information.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 6, wherein in the step S02, the control module further inserts the obstacle information into the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panorama.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein in the step S02, the control module is divided into the plurality of sub-areas by a checkerboard distribution or a straight stripe distribution.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein in the step S03, the control module divides a boundary of each sub-area and an area occupied by all obstacles in each sub-area into the movement exclusion area.
The control method of the cleaning robot according to claim 4, wherein in the step S04, the control module masks or deletes the cleaned sub-region from the two-dimensional or three-dimensional panorama.