WO2023103326A1

WO2023103326A1 - Control method, robot, robot charging base, and computer-readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2023103326A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/099744
Authority: WO
Inventors: 唐旋来; 杨亚运; 李通
Original assignee: 上海擎朗智能科技有限公司
Priority date: 2021-12-08
Filing date: 2022-06-20
Publication date: 2023-06-15
Also published as: CN114355889A

Abstract

A control method, used for controlling a robot to go to a charging base (2) for charging. The control method comprises: using a sensor of the robot to scan and determine a positioning surface (23) of the charging base (S101); obtaining the distance and angle of charging interfaces (22) of the charging base (2) relative to the robot (S102); and according to the distance relationship and the angle relationship between the robot and the charging interfaces (22), controlling the robot to move to the charging base (2), and enabling charging slots of the robot to be aligned and connected with the charging interfaces (22) of the charging base (2) (S103). The accurate alignment with the charging base (2) is realized by means of the sensor, thereby simplifying the internal structure, reducing the production cost, and optimizing the control method for automatic charging of the robot. Also provided are a robot and a robot charging base (2). The robot is controlled to perform recognition, positioning and docking on the charging base (2), so as to realize complete autonomous positioning and charging of the robot.

Description

Control method, robot, robot charging stand, and computer-readable storage medium

technical field

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of robot control, in particular to a robot control method, a robot, a robot charging stand and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background technique

With the development of automatic control technology, the intelligent level of robots is getting higher and higher, and the application fields are getting wider and wider. The application scenarios of most robots are relatively fixed, such as delivery robots, storage robots, tour robots, etc., all of which move within a predetermined area. In order to supply power to the robot, the usual method is to set up a charging stand at a fixed position in a predetermined area. When the power of the robot drops to a certain threshold, the robot is controlled to go to the charging stand to charge itself, but it is necessary to ensure that the robot and the charging stand are fully connected before charging. The alignment of the charging interface is accurate.

The existing robot automatic charging scheme generally adopts infrared positioning technology, and installs an infrared transmitting or receiving module on the charging stand. When the power of the robot is lower than the threshold, the robot starts the function of automatically searching for the charging stand. Search in spiral mode, or during the operation of the robot, continuously adjust the forward direction according to the running direction and the position of the charging pile, and finally realize the accurate alignment between the robot and the charging stand. However, this method requires additional hardware support. The corresponding infrared emitting device and infrared receiving device are installed on the structure of the robot and the charging stand, and the infrared emitting device and the infrared receiving device have a single function and are only used for alignment between the robot and the charging stand. Identifying and occupying the limited space inside the robot increases the complexity of the structural design and the cost of product production.

The content in the Background Art section is only the technology known to the inventors, and does not necessarily represent the prior art in the field.

Contents of the invention

Aiming at one or more defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a robot control method, which realizes accurate alignment between the robot and the charging stand without additional sensors, simplifies the internal structure of the robot and the charging stand, and reduces the production process. Cost, optimize the control method for automatic charging of the robot. The present invention also provides a robot and a charging stand for the robot, using the aforementioned robot control method to realize alignment connection and charge the robot. The present invention also includes a computer-readable storage medium for storing and executing the aforementioned robot control method.

In order to solve the problems of the technologies described above, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

A control method for controlling a robot to go to a charging stand and charge, the charging stand is set at a preset position in the robot's movement area, and the charging stand has a positioning surface, the control method includes:

Using the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand, wherein the positioning surface has a predetermined positional relationship with the charging interface of the charging stand;

Obtain the distance and angle of the charging interface of the charging stand relative to the robot; and

According to the distance relationship and angle relationship between the robot and the charging interface, the robot is controlled to move to the charging base, and the charging slot of the robot is aligned with the charging interface of the charging base.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the control method further includes: controlling the robot to move to the first H preset point, and then using the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand, wherein the first preset point is the same as The distance between the charging base is not greater than a first preset distance.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the step of controlling the movement of the robot to the charging stand further includes:

Control the movement of the robot to the positioning line;

controlling the robot to rotate until its charging slot is in the direction of said positioning line; and

The robot is controlled to move to the charging stand along the positioning line.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the first preset point is set on the positioning line.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the step of controlling the robot to move to the charging stand along the positioning line further includes: controlling the robot to move to a second preset point or controlling the robot to move to a distance not greater than the first When the two preset distances are reached, the robot is controlled to rotate until its charging slot is aligned with the charging interface.

According to one aspect of the present invention, wherein the positioning surface of the charging stand has preset structural features and/or optical features, the control method further includes: identifying a figure that conforms to the characteristics of the positioning surface according to the results of the sensor scanning, and confirming that The specific position and specific direction of the charging stand relative to the robot.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the step of confirming the specific position and specific direction of the charging base relative to the robot further includes:

According to the sensor data, segment the point cloud data of the charging stand;

Place the point cloud template of the charging stand at the central position of the point cloud data;

The posture of the charging base relative to the robot coordinate system is obtained by calculation method, and the relative distance and azimuth angle between the robot and the charging base are calculated.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the control method further includes judging whether the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, and when the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, controlling the robot to go to the charging stand, when the robot is set in the active area When there are multiple charging stations, the robot is controlled to go to the idle charging station with the shortest movement distance.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot includes:

a main body, a battery is arranged in the main body, and the battery supplies energy for the operation of the robot;

a driving device, the driving device is arranged on the main body and can be controlled to drive the robot to move;

A charging slot, the charging slot is arranged on the main body and is configured to be powered by an external power supply to the battery;

a sensor, the sensor is disposed on the body, the sensor is configured to scan the environment around the robot; and

A control system, the control system is arranged on the main body, and communicates with the driving device and the sensor, and the control system is configured to execute the above-mentioned control method.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a robot charging stand includes:

A fixed seat, the fixed seat is fixedly connected to the ground and/or wall of the robot activity area;

A charging interface, the charging interface is arranged on the fixed seat, the charging interface is configured to be able to cooperate with the charging slot, and supply power to the robot through the charging slot; and

A positioning surface, the positioning surface is arranged on the fixing seat, the positioning surface has preset structural features and/or optical features, and the positional relationship between the positioning surface and the charging interface is fixed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable storage medium includes computer-executable commands stored thereon, and the executable commands implement the aforementioned control method when executed by a processor.

Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention provides a robot control method, which uses the sensor of the robot to achieve accurate alignment between the robot and the charging stand. The sensor is an essential device for the robot without adding additional structures Or the device simplifies the internal structure of the robot and the charging stand, reduces the cost of manufacturing, optimizes the control method of the automatic charging of the robot, achieves a one-time alignment success, and reduces the number of times the robot adjusts its direction. The embodiment of the present invention also provides a robot and a robot charging stand, relying on the aforementioned control method, the robot is controlled to identify, locate and dock the charging stand, so as to realize the robot completely autonomously positioning and charging. Embodiments of the present invention also include a computer-readable storage medium for storing and executing the aforementioned control method.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention, and constitute a part of the description, and are used together with the embodiments of the present invention to explain the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation to the present invention. In the attached picture:

Fig. 1 is a schematic flow sheet of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart when the first preset point is not on the positioning line in one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow diagram when the first preset point is located on the positioning line in one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a detailed flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of scanning and determining the charging stand in one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the motion route of the robot in one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 7 is the control block diagram of robot in one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural view of the charging stand in an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not restrictive.

In describing the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", " Back", "Left", "Right", "Vertical", "Horizontal", "Top", "Bottom", "Inner", "Outer", "Clockwise", "Counterclockwise", etc. or The positional relationship is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of said features. In the description of the present invention, "plurality" means two or more, unless otherwise specifically defined.

In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection. Connected, or integrally connected: it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected, or can communicate with each other; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediary, and it can be the internal communication of two components or the interaction of two components relation. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "on" or "under" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include the first and second features Not in direct contact but through another characteristic contact between them. Moreover, "above", "above" and "above" a first feature on a second feature include that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the level of the first feature is higher than that of the second feature. "Below", "below" and "under" the first feature to the second feature include that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of the present invention. To simplify the disclosure of the present invention, components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or reference letters in different instances, such repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. In addition, various specific process and material examples are provided herein, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize the use of other processes and/or the use of other materials.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described here are only used to illustrate and explain the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a control method 100 for controlling automatic charging of a robot according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 1 .

This embodiment is used to control the robot to move to the charging stand and charge it. The robot moves in a specific area to perform tasks, such as a food delivery robot operating within the restaurant range, a storage robot operating within the warehouse range, etc. The active area of the robot is the main working area, in order to ensure the battery life of the robot , it is necessary to set up a charging stand. The conventional charging stand is usually arranged near the home line interface in the robot’s activity area, and is connected with the home circuit. Moreover, the charging stand can also be adjusted according to the specific use requirements, such as according to the location of the robot in the activity area. Different numbers of charging stations are allocated according to the degree of busyness.

In order to achieve accurate alignment between the robot and the charging stand, the charging stand is provided with a positioning surface. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Among them, the fixed base 21 is used to support and protect the internal circuit of the charging base 2, and the charging interface 22 is arranged on the fixed base 21. The installation position of the robot charging base 2 in the robot activity area can be set according to specific needs, and the charging interface should also be taken into consideration. 22 cooperates with the design structure of the robot, and the fixing base 21 can be arranged on the ground and/or the wall. The positioning surface 23 of the robot charging base 2 is arranged on the fixed base 21, and the positioning surface 23 has preset structural features and/or optical features, and the positional relationship between the positioning surface 23 and the charging interface 22 is fixed. The positioning surface 23 is used to cooperate with the sensor of the robot to realize the purpose of positioning the charging stand 2 of the robot. The specific structure or specific features of the positioning surface 23 can be determined according to the type of sensor on the robot.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the robot control method 100, in step S101, the sensor of the robot is used to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand, wherein the positioning surface has a predetermined positional relationship with the charging interface of the charging stand, for example, as shown in FIG. As shown, the plane where the positioning surface 23 and the charging base 21 are located are perpendicular to each other, after obtaining the position information of the positioning surface 23, the position of the charging base can be determined according to the preset shape. For robots moving in the working area, they generally have sensors to locate the working point and prevent collisions. The sensors include lidar sensors and binocular vision sensors. Robots are generally equipped with one or both of them.

In step S102, the distance and angle of the charging interface of the charging stand relative to the robot are obtained. Since the relative position of the positioning surface and the charging interface is fixed, after the robot obtains the position of the positioning surface by scanning, according to the positional relationship between the positioning surface and the charging interface, the positional relationship of the charging interface relative to the robot can be obtained, that is, the distance and angle.

In step S103, according to the distance relationship and angle relationship between the robot and the charging interface, the robot is controlled to move to the charging stand, and the charging slot of the robot is aligned with the charging interface of the charging stand. In the traditional positioning process, it is necessary to build an infrared emitting device in the charging stand to emit infrared signals to the outside. Decode the infrared signal to determine the location of the charging stand. Correspondingly, an infrared emitting device can also be arranged inside the robot, and an infrared receiving device can be arranged inside the charging stand. However, this method of positioning the charging stand with the help of infrared signals requires the cooperation of additional equipment, which increases the structural complexity of the robot and the charging stand, and increases the manufacturing cost. However, in this embodiment, a positioning surface is set on the charging stand, and the sensor in the robot is used to position the charging stand. Without adding additional devices, the positional relationship between the robot and the charging stand can be accurately obtained, and the robot and the charging stand can be controlled. The seat is accurately aligned, and the positioning surface only needs to be provided with features corresponding to the robot sensor on the structure of the charging stand, and no additional devices are required, which can simplify the structure of the robot and the charging stand and reduce production and processing costs.

Fig. 2 shows a robot control method 200 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, specifically including the motion path of the robot, and Fig. 6 shows the motion path of the robot according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, below in conjunction with Fig. 2 and Figure 6 is described in detail.

As shown in Figure 2, in step S201, the robot is controlled to move to the first preset point Z1, wherein the distance between the first preset point Z1 and the charging base is not greater than the first preset distance R, and the first preset point Z1 is a point set in advance in the robot's activity area. When setting the first preset point Z1, it should be close to the charging stand to ensure that the sensor of the robot can scan the positioning surface of the charging stand. The first preset distance R should not be greater than the field of view distance of the robot sensor. The specific value can be determined according to the type of robot sensor. For example, the laser radar in the robot is used to scan the positioning surface of the charging stand. The first preset distance R can be 5 meters. As shown in Figure 6, the first preset point Z1 can be set within a circle with a first preset distance R from the charging stand. Since the charging stand is usually set at the edge or corner of the robot’s active area, the first preset The preset range of the point Z1 is basically a fan-shaped surface with a certain angle. In Figure 6, the charging stand is set close to the wall, and the first preset point Z1 can be set within a semicircular arc, but the robot’s movement position is not suitable for being close to the wall, which may make it difficult for the robot to scan accurately positioning surface. Furthermore, the sensors of the robot mainly include lidar sensors and binocular vision sensors, etc., which are positioned using optical principles. Therefore, in order to ensure that the robot can scan the positioning surface through the sensor at the first preset point Z1, the first preset There should be no obstacles between point Z1 and the charging stand, such as walls, shelves, etc.

In step S202, use the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand. In this embodiment, the position of the positioning surface can be selected according to the needs, and it is only necessary to ensure that the position between the positioning surface and the charging interface is relatively fixed, but In order to facilitate the sensor of the robot to accurately scan the position of the positioning surface, the positioning surface should not be set at the position where the charging stand faces the wall and the scanning blind area of the sensor. The positioning surface can be set at the front side of the charging stand as shown in Figure 8. Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positioning surface can also be set at multiple positions of the charging stand, and it only needs to be distinguished to ensure that the sensor of the robot can scan the positioning surface, or by scanning multiple positioning surfaces Verify the specific position and angle of its charging stand.

In the robot control method 200, step S203 is basically the same as step S102 in the control method 100, and will not be repeated here. In step S204, control the robot to rotate to be perpendicular to the positioning line O, and control the robot to move to the positioning line O, as shown by the route L1 in FIG. 6 . The positioning line O is a virtual line that has a specific positional relationship with the charging interface of the charging stand. Taking Figure 8 as an example, the charging interface 22 of the charging stand 2 is two conductive shrapnels arranged in parallel. The vertical line of the connection between them is aligned and connected, and the vertical line of the connection between the two conductive shrapnel is the positioning line O, that is, the direction and route of motion when the robot and the charging stand are accurately aligned. Of course, if the charging interface of the charging base is single or asymmetrical, the positioning line O is also the accurate alignment direction of the charging interface, and the robot can be accurately aligned with the charging base along the positioning line O. In the existing infrared positioning method, first the robot needs to determine the position of the robot itself, and determine the position of the charging stand through infrared signals. When the robot needs to be charged, control the robot to move to the vicinity of the charging stand, and use the infrared signal to repeatedly adjust the position and posture until the charging slot of the robot corresponds to the charging interface of the charging stand, and then control the robot to connect with the charging stand. However, the positioning method using infrared signals is not accurate. Therefore, after roughly determining the direction, the robot is generally controlled to gradually approach the charging stand, and the attitude of the robot is repeatedly fine-tuned in the process. The speed is slow and the alignment accuracy is low. Not too high, need to adjust several times. The positioning line O in this embodiment is a virtual line in the active area of the robot, but the positional relationship between the positioning line O and the positioning surface and the charging interface is preset. After the robot uses the sensor to determine the positioning surface, The specific position of the positioning line O can be determined. In this embodiment, the robot is controlled to move to the positioning line O in advance, which simplifies the alignment process between the robot and the charging stand, and reduces the number of robot fine-tuning.

In step S205, the robot is controlled to rotate until the charging slot is located on the positioning line O. In step S206, the robot is controlled to move to the charging stand along the positioning line O, and is aligned with the charging stand. The charging slot and the charging interface can be connected in advance. Alignment, after the robot obtains the specific position and attitude of the charging stand, the position of the positioning line O is also determined accordingly. When the robot moves to the positioning line O, it rotates the body to ensure that the charging slot is also located on the positioning line O. After the alignment is completed, when the robot moves to the charging stand along the positioning line O, the alignment can be ensured by fine-tuning.

FIG. 3 shows a robot control method 300 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the first preset point Z1 is directly set on the positioning line O, which will be described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 3 and FIG. 6 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , in the robot control method 300, steps S301, S303 and S304 are basically the same as steps S201, S205 and S206 in the control method 200, respectively, the only difference being the first preset point Z1 in this embodiment Located on the positioning line O of the charging stand. In step S302, use the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand. At this time, the robot is on the positioning line O, but in this case, it cannot be guaranteed that it is aligned accurately with the charging stand. There are deviations in distance and direction, and it is impossible to accurately judge the posture of the robot relative to the charging stand, so it is still necessary to scan and position the charging stand. Correspondingly, after the position of the robot is fixed, the scanning range of its sensor is also relatively fixed, and the position of the scanning blind area will also change, so the positioning surface needs to be set at a position that the robot can scan, for example, the orientation of the positioning surface and the charging interface are the same or similar same direction.

Fig. 4 shows a detailed flow of a control method 400 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the robot control method 400 will be described in detail below.

In step S401, it is judged whether the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, wherein the preset power can be set according to the power consumption of the robot, such as 10% or 15%, to ensure that the remaining power of the robot can support the robot to move to the charging stand place and charge. According to the specific application scenario of the robot, it may also be necessary to calculate the power required by the robot to empty the load. The preset power usually has a certain amount of redundancy. If the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, it means that the robot needs to be charged. At this time, the robot is controlled to perform the next steps; if the remaining power of the robot is not lower than the preset power, the robot is controlled to continue to perform the task it is performing without charging. . In many application scenarios, multiple robots are usually arranged to work at the same time in the activity area. Correspondingly, multiple charging stations are also set up in the activity area. When the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, the robot is controlled to go to the place with the shortest movement The working status of the charging stand can be reported to the server through the charging robot and recorded.

Steps S402, S403, and S404 are basically the same as steps S201, S202, and S203 respectively, and will not be repeated here. In step S405, the robot is controlled to move to the positioning line O. After the robot determines the position and posture of the charging stand, the position and direction of the positioning line O are also determined. In step S204, the robot is controlled to move perpendicular to the positioning line O It can try to avoid the deviation caused by the movement of the robot, but in the active scene of the robot, the positioning line O may be blocked by other objects, which does not guarantee that the robot can move to the vertical foot of the first preset point Z1 on the positioning line O. Avoid the situation that the robot cannot be in place. In this embodiment, the robot is controlled to move directly to the positioning line O, not limited to the point determined on the positioning line O. Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the robot can be controlled to bias the charging The position of the seat moves to the positioning line O, as shown in the line L2 in Figure 6, to prevent other objects between the robot and the charging seat from being blocked, and to avoid new deviations caused by the positioning of the charging port caused by the robot in the process of bypassing obstacles. not allowed.

In step S406, the robot is controlled to rotate until the charging tank is located on the positioning line O. Further, the current posture of the robot can be recorded. In the structural design of conventional robots, the charging tank is generally located behind the forward direction of the robot. Although the robot can be controlled to move backward , but because most of its sensors are set in the forward direction of the robot, it is impossible to effectively control the stability of the robot’s position and attitude during the reverse process. The charging tank of the robot is rotated to the positioning line O in advance, and after approaching the charging stand, it is still For example, the charging slot is located directly behind the forward direction of the robot. Control the robot to rotate 180° to achieve accurate positioning and minimize the backward movement distance of the robot. In step S407, the robot is controlled to move to a second preset point along the positioning line O or to a distance not greater than the second preset distance from the charging stand. Wherein the second preset point is a point close to the charging stand, and its distance from the charging stand is not greater than the second preset distance. This step includes two control methods, one of which is to control the robot to move to the second preset point position, so as to ensure that the distance between the robot and the charging stand is close enough, and the other is to directly use the distance to control the robot close enough to the charging stand to reduce the distance of the backward movement. The second preset distance can be determined according to the characteristics of the robot, for example It is 20 cm, and the distance between the robot and the charging stand can be detected in real time by the sensor that comes with the robot, or the position and attitude of the charging stand detected by the robot at the first preset point Z1 can be recorded in the map of the robot , no real-time detection is required to prevent the charging stand from entering the blind zone of the robot sensor as the robot approaches the charging stand. When the robot is close to the charging base, in step S408, the robot is controlled to rotate until the charging slot is aligned with the charging interface, that is, the robot is controlled to rotate until the charging slot is located on the positioning line O and is electrically connected to the charging interface.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the positioning surface 23 of the charging base 2 has preset structural features and/or optical features. For example, as shown in FIG. The groove is scanned and positioned by the sensor, and an optical mark that can be captured by the robot sensor, such as a fluorescent mark or a two-dimensional code, can also be set on the positioning surface 23. When using the robot sensor to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand , according to the results of the sensor scanning, identify the graphics that conform to the characteristics of the positioning surface, such as recognizing the two-dimensional code according to the scanning results, so as to determine the specific position and specific direction of the charging base relative to the robot, and make a charging base with grooves 2 Housing or printing marks on the housing is less costly and more efficient than installing an infrared emitting device.

Further, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 shows a step of confirming the specific position and direction of the charging base relative to the robot. In step S501, the sensor of the robot is controlled to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging base For example, relying on the laser radar sensor to obtain the shape and structure of the positioning surface is characterized by a groove as shown in Figure 8, that is, to determine the approximate position and direction of the charging stand. In step S502, the point cloud data of the charging stand is divided according to the scanning result of the lidar sensor. In step S503, the point cloud template of the charging stand is placed at the center position of the point cloud data of the charging stand obtained in the previous step, wherein the point cloud template of the charging stand It is the shape and structure data of the charging stand installed within the robot’s activity range, and the point cloud template of the charging stand is positioned using the characteristic structure or characteristic graph on the positioning surface, and then the specific position and posture of the charging stand are determined. In step S504, by calculating The method obtains the attitude of the charging base relative to the robot coordinate system, calculates the relative distance and azimuth between the robot and the charging base, and fits the scanning results with the point cloud template of the charging base to obtain the accurate position and attitude of the charging base, namely The distance and angle of the charging stand relative to the robot can be calculated, and the robot can be accurately aligned with the charging stand.

As shown in Fig. 7, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a kind of robot 1, comprises main body 11, driving device 12, charging tank 13, sensor 14 and control system 15, wherein main body 11 is the frame structure of robot 1, present embodiment The robot 1 in the robot moves by electric power, and a battery 16 is arranged inside the main body 11, and the battery 16 supplies energy for the movement of the robot. The driving device 12 is used to drive the robot 1 to move, and is arranged on the main body 11 of the robot 1 , such as a driving wheel fixedly arranged at the bottom of the main body 11 , powered by a battery 16 and controlled by a control system 15 . The charging slot 13 is arranged on the main body 11, and is electrically connected with the battery in the main body 11 directly or through wires, and can be powered by an external power source, such as a conductive shrapnel arranged in the groove below the main body 11. The sensor 14 is arranged on the main body 11 of the robot 1 and can scan and collect the surrounding environment of the robot 1 , such as a laser radar sensor and a binocular vision sensor. The control system 15 is arranged on the main body 11 of the robot 1 and communicates with the driving device and the sensor. The control system can execute the aforementioned control method and control the robot 1 to go to the charging stand 2 for charging.

As shown in Figure 8, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a robot charging base 2, including a fixed base 21, a charging interface 22 and a positioning surface 23, wherein the fixed base 21 is the main load-bearing support structure of the robot charging base 2, and the fixed base 21 is fixedly connected to the ground and/or wall of the robot’s active area, such as being fixed on the ground by bolts. If the conductive groove 13 of the robot 1 is set at a higher position, the fixing seat 21 can also be fixed on the wall to cooperate with the conductive Groove 13, the shape of robot charging stand 2, structure and position are all matched with robot 1. The charging interface 22 is arranged on the fixed seat 21 and is held by the fixed seat 21. The charging interface 22 can cooperate with the charging slot 13, and only the charging slot 13 supplies power to the robot 1. The charging interface 22 is also electrically connected to an external power supply, such as a warehouse or a restaurant. Entry circuit. The positioning surface 23 is arranged on the fixed seat 21, the positioning surface 23 has preset structural features and/or optical features, and the positional relationship between the positioning surface 23 and the charging interface 21 is fixed, wherein the structural features and optical features mean that the robot 1 can The sensor 14 captures and can recognize features, such as shape or optical markings. As mentioned above, the positioning surface 23 is used to cooperate with the sensor 14 of the robot 1, and the structural features and/or optical features on the positioning surface 23 can be used as the basis for confirming and positioning the charging stand 2, and can thus determine the connection between the charging interface 22 and the charging port 22. The specific distance and angular relationship between the grooves 13.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including computer-executable commands stored thereon, and the executable commands implement the aforementioned control method when executed by a processor.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, for those skilled in the art, it still The technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments may be modified, or some technical features thereof may be equivalently replaced. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

A control method for controlling a robot to go to a charging stand and charge, the charging stand is set at a preset position in the robot's movement area, and the charging stand has a positioning surface, the control method includes:

Using the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand, wherein the positioning surface has a predetermined positional relationship with the charging interface of the charging stand;

Obtain the distance and angle of the charging interface of the charging stand relative to the robot; and

According to the distance relationship and angle relationship between the robot and the charging interface, the robot is controlled to move to the charging base, and the charging slot of the robot is aligned with the charging interface of the charging base.
The control method according to claim 1, further comprising: controlling the robot to move to a first preset point, and then using the sensor of the robot to scan and determine the positioning surface of the charging stand, wherein the first preset point is the same as the The distance of the charging base is not greater than the first preset distance.
The control method according to claim 2, wherein the step of controlling the robot to move to the charging stand further comprises:

Control the movement of the robot to the positioning line;

controlling the robot to rotate until its charging slot is in the direction of said positioning line; and

The robot is controlled to move to the charging stand along the positioning line.
The control method according to claim 2, wherein the first preset point is set on the positioning line.
The control method according to claim 4, wherein the step of controlling the robot to move to the charging stand further comprises:

controlling the robot to rotate until its charging slot is in the direction of said positioning line; and

The robot is controlled to move to the charging stand along the positioning line.
The control method according to claim 3 or 5, wherein the step of controlling the robot to move to the charging stand along the positioning line further comprises: controlling the robot to move to the second preset point or controlling the robot to move to the charging stand When the distance is not greater than the second preset distance, the robot is controlled to rotate until its charging slot is aligned with the charging interface.
The control method according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the positioning surface of the charging stand has preset structural features and/or optical features, and the control method further includes: according to the result of scanning by the sensor, Identify the graphics that conform to the characteristics of the positioning surface, and confirm the specific position and specific direction of the charging base relative to the robot.
The control method according to claim 7, wherein the step of confirming the specific position and specific direction of the charging stand relative to the robot further comprises:

According to the sensor data, segment the point cloud data of the charging stand;

Place the point cloud template of the charging stand at the central position of the point cloud data;

The posture of the charging base relative to the robot coordinate system is obtained by calculation method, and the relative distance and azimuth angle between the robot and the charging base are calculated.
The control method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising judging whether the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, and when the remaining power of the robot is lower than the preset power, controlling the robot to go to the charging stand, when the robot When there are multiple charging stations in the activity area, the robot is controlled to go to the idle charging station with the shortest movement distance.
A robot comprising:

a main body, a battery is arranged in the main body, and the battery supplies energy for the operation of the robot;

a driving device, the driving device is arranged on the main body and can be controlled to drive the robot to move;

A charging slot, the charging slot is arranged on the main body and is configured to be powered by an external power supply to the battery;

a sensor, the sensor is disposed on the body, the sensor is configured to scan the environment around the robot; and

A control system, the control system is arranged on the main body and communicates with the driving device and the sensor, and the control system is configured to execute the control method according to any one of claims 1-9.
A charging stand for a robot, comprising:

A fixed seat, the fixed seat is fixedly connected to the ground and/or wall of the robot activity area;

A charging interface, the charging interface is arranged on the fixed seat, the charging interface is configured to be able to cooperate with the charging slot, and supply power to the robot through the charging slot; and

A positioning surface, the positioning surface is arranged on the fixing seat, the positioning surface has preset structural features and/or optical features, and the positional relationship between the positioning surface and the charging interface is fixed.
A computer-readable storage medium, including computer-executable commands stored thereon, the executable commands implement the control method according to any one of claims 1-9 when executed by a processor.