Dynamic region division and region passage identification methods and cleaning robot

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11618168-B2
Application number	US-202016733164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 2, 2020
Priority date	Jan 3, 2019
Publication date	Apr 4, 2023
Grant date	Apr 4, 2023

Abstract

Provided are dynamic region division and region passage identification methods and a cleaning robot. The dynamic region division method includes: acquiring environment information collected by a robot when working in a first region; determining whether the robot has completed a work task in the first region, when a presence of a passage entering a second region is determined based on the environment information; and complementing a boundary at the passage to block the passage, when the work task is not completed. According to the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application, the occurrence probability of repeated sweeping and miss sweeping is reduced, and the cleaning efficiency is high. In addition, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application relies on the environment information collected during the work, rather than relying on historical map data, so that the environmental adaptability is high.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dynamic region division method, comprising:
acquiring environment information collected by a robot when working in a first region;
determining whether the robot has completed a work task in the first region, when a presence of a passage entering a second region is determined based on the environment information; and
complementing a boundary for preventing the robot from entering at the passage to block the passage, when the work task is not completed.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the environment information is a point cloud model; and
the acquiring the environment information collected by the robot when working in the first region comprises:
collecting an environment image, when the robot works in the first region;
identifying the environment image; and
constructing the point cloud model for a surrounding environment of the robot by utilizing a Simultaneous Location and Mapping technology, when an image conforming to a passage structure is identified in the environment image.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
acquiring size information of a candidate structure conforming to the passage structure based on the point cloud model; and
determining that the candidate structure is the passage entering the second region, when the size information meets a preset size requirement.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the size information comprises:
width, height and depth.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the environment information is two-dimensional point cloud data collected by a laser sensor on the robot; and
determining whether there is a passage entering the second region based on the environment information comprises:
identifying whether there is a gap conforming to the passage structure in the first region based on the two-dimensional point cloud data; and
identifying whether the gap is the passage entering the second region from the first region according to obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap, if there is a gap conforming to the passage structure.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the identifying whether there is a gap conforming to the passage structure in the first region based on the environment information comprises:
searching for an obstacle in a front region of the robot based on the environment information;
if adjacent obstacles are found in a front region, calculating an angle formed by the robot and the adjacent obstacles;
calculating a distance between the adjacent obstacles if the angle is larger than a set angle threshold; and
determining that there is a gap conforming to the passage structure between the adjacent obstacles if the distance between the adjacent obstacles meets a set distance requirement.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein prior to determining that there is a gap conforming to the passage structure between the adjacent obstacles, further comprises:
calculating a number of obstacles in specified range around the gap; and
assisting to determine whether the gap conforms to the passage structure according to the number of the obstacles in the specified range around the gap.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the identifying whether the gap is the passage entering the second region from the first region according to the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap comprises:
determining whether the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap are parallel or approximately parallel; and
if the obstacle boundaries are parallel or approximately parallel, determining that the gap is the passage entering the second region from the first region.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the determining whether the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap are parallel or approximately parallel comprises:
calculating slopes of the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap; and
if a slope difference value of the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap is within a set difference value range, determining that the obstacle boundaries on both sides of the left and right end points of the gap are not parallel or approximately parallel.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the complementing the boundary at the passage to block the passage comprises:
acquiring a region topology map and a position of the passage in the region topology map; and
complementing the boundary to block the passage at the position in the region topology map.

11. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
canceling the boundary complemented at the passage, when the work task is completed.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the complementing the boundary at the passage to block the passage, when the work task is not completed further comprises:
acquiring a work record of the robot in the first region;
determining a continuation scheme according to the work record; and
controlling the robot to continue working in the first region in accordance with the continuation scheme.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein:
the work record comprises:
working mode, starting position, starting orientation of the robot at the starting position and midway position monitored, when the robot works to the passage; and
the determining the continuation scheme according to the work record comprises:
acquiring a region map of the first region; and
determining the continuation scheme according to the region map, the working mode, the starting position, the starting orientation and the midway position.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the controlling the robot to continue working in the first region in accordance with the continuation scheme comprises:
planning a path returning to the starting position according to the midway position;
controlling the robot to work to return to the starting position in accordance with the path;
adjusting a continuation orientation after the robot returns to the starting position again according to the starting orientation; and
controlling the robot to continue working in the first region in the working mode along the continuation orientation from the starting position.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
when the work task is completed, controlling the robot to move from an end position, when the work task is completed to the midway position, and controlling the robot to enter the second region through the passage after the robot arrives the midway position.

16. A dynamic region division method, comprising:
acquiring an environment image collected by a robot in a first region;
collecting environment information, when an image conforming to a passage structure is identified in the environment image; and
executing passage blocking setting to separate the first region and a second region interconnected through a passage, when a presence of the passage entering the second region is determined based on the environment information.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising:
executing passage open setting to interconnect the first region and the second region through the passage, when a passage open event is monitored.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein a triggering mode of the passage open event comprises at least one of:
triggering the passage open event, w

Assignees

• Ecovacs Robotics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Song Qingxiang
• Xu Kaili
• Zhu Yongkang
• Liu Da
• Zhang Yibin
• Shan Junjie
• Tang Jinju

Classifications

• A47L2201/04

  Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection · CPC title

• B25J9/1697 Primary

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title

• A47L11/4011

  Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor · CPC title

• B25J11/0085

  Cleaning · CPC title

• A47L11/24

  Floor-sweeping machines, motor-driven · CPC title