CN107020641B

CN107020641B - Self-moving robot cross-region system and walking method thereof

Info

Publication number: CN107020641B
Application number: CN201610073802.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 汤进举
Original assignee: Ecovacs Robotics Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Ecovacs Robotics Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-02-02
Filing date: 2016-02-02
Publication date: 2020-05-19
Anticipated expiration: 2036-02-02
Also published as: CN107020641A

Abstract

A self-moving robot trans-regional system comprises a self-moving robot and a guiding device L, wherein the self-moving robot and the guiding device L are arranged in a walking region, the guiding device transmits a limiting signal c to divide the walking region into a first region A and a second region B, and the guiding device L transmits a first guiding signal a to the first region A and transmits a second guiding signal B to the second region B; the self-moving robot is provided with a receiving device for receiving a first guide signal a, a second guide signal b or a limiting signal c; the robot is provided with a working mode and a transfer mode, and in the transfer mode, the robot judges and adjusts the walking direction of the robot according to the signals received by the receiving device, and the robot crosses the boundary from the first area A to enter the second area B. The robot has the advantages of simple operation mode, high switching speed between the working mode and the transfer mode, high working efficiency of the robot, no need of arranging an omnibearing transmitter and low cost.

Description

Self-moving robot cross-region system and walking method thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to a self-moving robot trans-regional system and a walking method thereof, belonging to the technical field of small household appliance manufacturing.

Background

Most of existing household self-moving robots walk randomly in the working process, in the environment with more areas, people can randomly come in and go out of each area, or only work circularly in a certain area, so that the efficiency of the existing household self-moving robots in the working mode is low, and the speed is low. In order to solve the problem, a partition mode is generally adopted for cleaning, but when the robot needs to leave and enter another area after the operation is finished in a certain area, the movement of the robot is often not easy to control, so that the problems of unsmooth operation, slow leaving and entering speed and the like are caused.

Prior art US 8954192 discloses a method for zoned cleaning of a home self-moving robot, see fig. 31A to 31H thereof, comprising adjacent first and second limited areas connected by a door, at the location of which is arranged a guiding means 304 emitting three beams of light, respectively a first guiding light 306 emitted towards the first limited area, a second guiding light 314 towards the second limited area and a limiting light 316 emitted towards a vertical door, and around the guiding means 304 a circle of marked area, denoted "inaccessible zone", is emitted by an omni-directional emitter, to which the robot 302 is inaccessible in cleaning mode, but, when the robot 302 is to enter the second limited area after cleaning of the first limited area, it is necessary to find the first guiding light 306 of the first limited area and move along the first guiding light 306 to the "inaccessible zone" of the guiding means 304, along the border 312 of the zone until the second guide light 314 is found entering the second limited area, and thus along the second guide light 314 into the second limited area for the cleaning task. The defects of the cleaning method by regions are as follows: after the robot searches for the first guide light, the robot needs to walk to the boundary of the inaccessible zone, the walking distance is long, the entering and moving speed is slow, and the problems of unsmooth operation and the like are easily caused.

Disclosure of Invention

The technical problem to be solved by the invention is to provide a self-moving robot trans-regional system and a walking method thereof aiming at the defects of the prior art, the running mode is simple, the switching speed between the working mode and the transfer mode is high, the working efficiency of the robot is high, an omnibearing transmitter is not required to be arranged, and the cost is low.

The technical problem to be solved by the invention is realized by the following technical scheme:

a self-moving robot trans-regional system comprises a self-moving robot and a guiding device L, wherein the self-moving robot and the guiding device L are arranged in a walking region, the guiding device transmits a limiting signal c, the limiting signal c divides the walking region into a first region A and a second region B, and the guiding device L transmits a first guiding signal a into the first region A and a second guiding signal B into the second region B; the self-moving robot is provided with a receiving device for receiving a first guide signal a, a second guide signal b or a limiting signal c; the robot is provided with a working mode and a transfer mode, and in the transfer mode, the robot judges and adjusts the walking direction of the robot according to the signals received by the receiving device, and the robot crosses the boundary from the first area A to enter the second area B.

The first area a and the second area B are two rooms connected through a door, respectively, and the guide device L is provided at the door.

The invention also provides a cross-regional walking method of the self-moving robot in the system, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

step 100: the self-moving robot is in a first area A and works in a working mode;

step 200: when a preset condition is reached, the self-moving robot is switched from the working mode to the transfer mode so as to leave the first area A and enter the second area B;

step 300: the self-moving robot walks in the direction of approaching the limit signal c under the guidance of the first guide signal a;

step 400: when the self-moving robot meets the crossing condition, the self-moving robot is separated from the guidance of the first guidance signal a and crosses the boundary to enter a second area B;

step 500: and finishing the crossing, converting the self-moving robot from the transfer mode to the working mode, and continuing working in the second area B.

The step 300 specifically includes: the self-moving robot walks directly along the transmission direction of the first guide signal a in the first area a.

Specifically, the first pilot signal a has an energy signal, and the crossing condition in step 400 includes: the self-moving robot moves to a point R, and the energy signal of the received first guide signal meets the preset energy value.

In addition, the step 300 specifically includes: after finding the first guide signal a in the first area A, the self-moving robot walks according to a regular path, wherein the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a. The regular path is a zig-zag, saw-tooth or serpentine path.

Specifically, the crossing condition in the step 400 includes: and the self-moving robot walks from any point according to a regular path until receiving the limiting signal c, wherein the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a.

Alternatively, the first pilot signal a has an energy signal, and the crossing condition in step 400 includes: the self-moving robot moves to a point R, and an energy signal of a first guide signal received at the point R meets the requirement of a preset energy value;

the self-moving robot firstly walks to a point R, then walks from the point R according to a regular path until a limiting signal c is received, and the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a.

In addition, the first guide signal a is turned on in the whole process of the working mode and the transition mode; alternatively, to save energy, it is only turned on during the transition mode.

The first pilot signal a contains carrier wave coded signal segments and energy signal segments separated by a certain time as required.

In addition, the reaching of the predetermined condition in the step 200 includes: the job is completed or a predetermined job time is reached.

In conclusion, the operation mode of the robot is simple, the switching speed between the working mode and the transfer mode is high, the working efficiency of the robot is high, an omnibearing transmitter is not required to be arranged, and the cost is low.

The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a walking mode according to a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a walking mode in a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a waveform diagram of a transmitted signal of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Example one

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a walking mode according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 1, the self-moving robot in this embodiment is a sweeping robot, and the working area includes a first area a and a second area B connected by a door (not shown), and a guiding device L is disposed at the door frame of the door of the two areas. The guiding means L emit a first guiding signal a into the first area a, a second guiding signal B into the second area B, and a limiting signal c parallel to the door frame. In practical application, different numbers can be selected to be installed at different positions of the robot according to the different properties of the omnidirectional receiver or the directional receiver of the receiving device, such as right ahead and side surfaces of the robot, and the receiving device and the transmitting device on the guiding device L correspond to each other to receive the guiding signal and judge and adjust the walking direction of the robot.

When the robot cleans in the first area A, if the robot moves to the doorway, the robot is blocked by the limit signal c, so that the robot stays in the first area A continuously to complete the cleaning operation. When the robot finishes traversing, walking and cleaning the first area A or finishes cleaning operation due to the fact that the set working time is met, the robot can be switched from the working mode to the transition mode, and therefore the robot leaves the first area A. The transmission signal of the guiding means L comprises a guiding signal and a limiting signal, wherein the first guiding signal a and the second guiding signal B transmitted into the first area a and the second area B, respectively, may be turned on during the whole of the working mode and the transfer mode, or may be turned on only during the cleaning operation of the robot, after the cleaning operation is completed, when the robot is ready to traverse. A limiting signal c in the emission signals is always turned on when the robot performs cleaning work, and is turned off when the robot prepares to pass through; or the limiting signal c can be opened all the time in the whole process, and the robot ignores the limiting signal c to continue walking when passing through.

Specifically, after the robot finishes cleaning the first area a, the robot finds the first guide signal a in the first area a, walks along the direction of the first guide signal a, and after a certain condition is met, the robot leaves the first guide signal a at a point R until the robot enters the second area B through the limit signal c. At this time, the robot completes walking from the first area a through the second guide signal B into the second area B smoothly. Similarly, when the second area B is cleaned, the second area B is also left by the second guiding signal B.

The condition that the robot meets the certain condition is that the intensity value of the energy signal in the first guiding signal received by the robot meets the preset energy value requirement when the robot travels to a certain point, which is the point R shown in fig. 1. Furthermore, firstly, an energy value is preset, after the robot finishes cleaning, a first guiding signal a is found, the first guiding signal a transmitted by the guiding device L has an energy signal, the energy signal gradually increases along with the decrease of the distance from the guiding device L in the process of the robot moving, and the receiving device can judge the position of the robot away from the guiding device L according to the energy signal. The robot gradually approaches the guiding device L under the guidance of the first guiding signal a, and the guiding device L is preset in a certain distance range so that the robot can enter the second area B through the limiting signal c, for example: the energy value emitted from the guiding device L is reduced from 10 to 1 in sequence, the position with the energy value of 10 is near the guiding device L, the position with the energy value of 1 is farthest away from the guiding device L, the position between the energy values of 5 and 8 corresponds to a door, the robot can pass through the door to enter the second area B, if the robot finds the position with the energy value of 1 first, the robot needs to walk to the position with the energy value of 5 along the first guiding signal a to enter the second area B, and if the robot finds the position with the energy value of 10 first, the position with the guiding device L blocks the robot and cannot enter the area B, and the robot needs to walk to the position with the energy value of 8 to enter the second area B. Namely: the energy signal increases to a predetermined value and the robot stops walking forward and traverses to the second area B. The points with preset energy values comprise the optimal walking range which is easy to enter the second area B, the optimal walking range can further correspond to the optimal point positions of the energy values of a plurality of preset optimal energy signals, and the robot directly passes through the limiting signal c to enter the second area B after finding the optimal point positions in the walking process.

Example two

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a walking mode in a second embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 2, the self-moving robot in this embodiment is also a sweeping robot, and the working area includes a first area a and a second area B connected by a door (not shown), and a guiding device L is disposed at a door frame of the door of the two areas. The directing means L emit a first directing signal a into the first area a, a second directing signal B into the second area B, parallel to the gate emission limiting signal c. After the robot finishes cleaning the first area A, finding a first guide signal a in the first area A, walking along the first guide signal a, and after a certain condition is met, walking along a regular path at a point S, wherein the point S is vertically far away from the first guide signal a, and the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the emission direction of the first guide signal a. For example: a bow-shaped walk as shown in fig. 2 may be used. Wherein the horizontal and vertical walking distances in the zigzag path are preset until the limit signal c is found, i.e. the point O is reached, and the second area B is entered by passing through the limit signal c.

Specifically, if the first guiding signal a is emitted for a long distance, the robot may first walk along the first guiding signal a, and after reaching a point with a preset energy value, the robot may walk in a cyclic regular path to find the limiting signal c and enter the second area B (similar to the walking manner in the following third embodiment), or may directly walk in a cyclic regular path from a position where the robot meets the first guiding signal a to find the limiting signal c and enter the second area B. If the distance transmitted by the first guiding signal a is short, the robot directly walks in a circulating regular path after encountering the guiding signal a until finding the limiting signal c to enter the second area B, that is, in the second embodiment, the energy signal transmitted by the guiding device L may be present or absent, if present, the distance can be judged according to the energy signal, if not, the distance is not judged, and the robot directly walks in a circulating regular path while encountering the first guiding signal a to find the limiting signal c.

In the above description of the embodiment, the walking path of the robot is in a bow shape, but of course, other regular paths may be used to walk, which may be set and eventually find the limit signal c at a distance from the guiding device L. Such as: zigzag, serpentine, etc. regular circular paths.

EXAMPLE III

The present embodiment is an improvement on the second embodiment, specifically, as shown in fig. 2 and in combination with fig. 1, in the present embodiment, after the first area a is cleaned, the robot finds the first guiding signal a in the first area a, walks along the first guiding signal a, does not travel from the point S shown in fig. 2 in a regular path, but, as shown in fig. 1, first travels to the point R meeting the requirement, then walks from the point R in a regular path, until the limit signal c is found, that is, reaches the point O, and then passes through the limit signal c and enters the second area B. Obviously, in this embodiment, the energy signal in the first pilot signal a is necessary.

The embodiment is essentially the optimized combination of the two technical solutions of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and obviously can improve the working efficiency and shorten the time for the robot to cross from the first area a to the second area B.

It should be noted that, in the above three embodiments, the working areas are described as the first area a and the second area B, and in practical application, the two areas may be two areas separated by the limiting signal c emitted by the guiding device L, for example, one hall, and the limiting signal c divides the whole hall into two parts; or may be naturally partitioned, such as two rooms connected by a door.

Fig. 3 is a waveform diagram of a transmitted signal of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the pilot L first transmits a carrier-coded signal, such as: 0xA5, and after a delay, such as M milliseconds, a continuous energy signal is transmitted, such as the P segment shown in fig. 3, and after a delay, such as N milliseconds, the next cycle is performed. The coded signal is used for enabling the robot to recognize the guiding signal and adjust the direction, the energy signal is gradually increased along with the reduction of the distance of the guiding device L in the process of the robot moving, and the receiving device arranged on the robot can judge how far the robot is away from the guiding device L at the moment according to the energy signal. The robot approaches the guiding means L gradually, guided by the first guiding signal a, to a certain distance, e.g. at R or S as listed in the above example respectively, the energy signal increases to a predetermined value, and the robot stops walking forward and traverses towards the second area B. Therefore, as shown in the waveform of fig. 3, the guiding device L emits a constant energy waveform, and the amplitude of the waveform of the signal received by the receiving device varies with the distance. That is, the first pilot signal a and the second pilot signal b both include carrier-encoded signal segments and energy signal segments spaced apart by a certain time.

Through the arrangement mode and the working principle, after the cleaning of the first area A is finished, the household self-moving robot finds the first guide signal a of the first area A, and after a certain condition is met, the household self-moving robot moves from a point on the first guide signal a to the limit signal c until the household self-moving robot passes through the limit signal c and directly enters the second area B. Can enter into second area B from first area A fast like this, the operation mode is simpler, and switching speed is very fast between working mode and the migration mode, and the work efficiency of robot is high, and the guider need not to increase other signal emission device, if sets up all-round transmitter, and the cost is lower.

Other contents in this embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment, and are not described herein again.

In summary of the disclosure of the above three embodiments, in general, a self-moving robot trans-regional system includes a self-moving robot disposed in a walking area and a guiding device L, wherein the guiding device transmits a limiting signal c, the limiting signal c divides the walking area into a first region a and a second region B, and the guiding device L transmits a first guiding signal a into the first region a and a second guiding signal B into the second region B; the self-moving robot is provided with a receiving device for receiving a first guide signal a, a second guide signal b or a limiting signal c; the robot is provided with a working mode and a transfer mode, and in the transfer mode, the robot judges and adjusts the walking direction of the robot according to the signals received by the receiving device, and the robot crosses the boundary from the first area A to enter the second area B.

the self-moving robot firstly walks to a point R, then walks from the point R according to a regular path until a limiting signal c is received, and the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a. In addition, the first guide signal a is turned on in the whole process of the working mode and the transition mode; alternatively, to save energy, it is only turned on during the transition mode.

In summary, the present invention provides a method for walking a self-moving robot across areas, which has a simple operation mode, a fast switching speed between a working mode and a transition mode, a high working efficiency of the robot, and a low cost because the guiding device does not need to add an additional signal transmitter (for example, an omni-directional transmitter).

Claims

1. A self-moving robot trans-regional system comprises a self-moving robot and a guiding device L, wherein the self-moving robot and the guiding device L are arranged in a walking region, the guiding device transmits a limiting signal c, the limiting signal c divides the walking region into a first region A and a second region B, and the guiding device L transmits a first guiding signal a into the first region A and a second guiding signal B into the second region B; the self-moving robot is characterized in that a receiving device is arranged on the self-moving robot and used for receiving a first guide signal a, a second guide signal b or a limiting signal c;

the robot is provided with a working mode and a transfer mode, and in the transfer mode, the robot judges and adjusts the walking direction of the robot according to the signals received by the receiving device, and the robot crosses a boundary from the first area A to enter the second area B;

wherein the first pilot signal a has an energy signal; the position crossing the boundary line is a point R where the received first pilot signal energy signal satisfies a preset energy value.

2. The self-moving robot trans-regional system according to claim 1, wherein the first region a and the second region B are two rooms connected by a door, respectively, and the guiding means L is provided at the door.

3. A method for walking across zones from a mobile robot in a system according to any of claims 1-2, comprising the steps of:

step 500: finishing the crossing, converting the mobile robot from the transfer mode to the working mode, and continuing working in the second area B;

wherein the first pilot signal a has an energy signal, and the crossing condition in step 400 includes: the self-moving robot moves to a point R, and the energy signal of the received first guide signal meets the preset energy value.

4. A walking method according to claim 3, wherein said step 300 specifically comprises: the self-moving robot walks directly along the transmission direction of the first guide signal a in the first area a.

5. A walking method according to claim 3, wherein said step 300 specifically comprises: after finding the first guide signal a in the first area A, the self-moving robot walks according to a regular path, wherein the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a.

6. Walking method according to claim 5, characterised in that the regular path is a bow-shaped, zigzag or serpentine path.

7. The walking method of claim 6, wherein the crossing condition in step 400 comprises: the self-moving robot firstly walks to a point R, then walks from the point R according to a regular path until a limiting signal c is received, and the whole walking direction of the regular path is parallel to the transmitting direction of the first guide signal a.

8. Walking method according to claim 3, characterized in that said first guiding signal a, is switched on during the whole of the working mode and the migration mode;

or, only on in the migration mode.

9. A walking method according to claim 4 or 7, characterized in that the first pilot signal a comprises carrier wave coded signal segments and energy signal segments spaced by a certain time.

10. A walking method according to claim 3, wherein said reaching of the predetermined condition in step 200 comprises: the job is completed or a predetermined job time is reached.