IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,534,916
Granted Patent B2
US 11,534,916 · App. 16/513,341 · Granted Dec 27, 2022

Robot control method, robot and storage medium

Inventor: Bin Cen (Suzhou, CN)
Assignee: ECOVACS ROBOTICS CO., LTD.
B25J9/1664
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,534,916
App. No.
16/513,341
Granted
Dec 27, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a robot control method, a robot and a storage medium. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the robot determines a position when the robot is released from being hijacked based on relocalization operation; determines a task execution area according to environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked; and afterwards executes a task within the task execution area. Thus, the robot may flexibly determine the task execution area according to the environment in which the robot is released from being hijacked, without returning to the position when the robot is hijacked, to continue to execute the task, then acting according to local conditions is realized and the user requirements may be met as much as possible.

Claims (75)

1. A robot control method, comprising:

determining, by a robot, a position when the robot is released from being hijacked based on relocalization operation;

determining, by the robot, according to environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, the position when the robot is released from being hijacked as a position to continue a task executed before the robot being hijacked and a task area to be executed; and

executing, by the robot, the task within the task area to be executed;

wherein the environmental information is obtained by sensor provided on the robot;

wherein the robot is a sweeping robot, and the determining, by the robot, the task area to be executed according to the environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, comprises:

determining, by the sweeping robot, a to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked;

wherein the determining, by the sweeping robot, the to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked, further comprises:

recognizing whether the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked contains a corner;

and if the corner is contained, determining an associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area;

and wherein the determining the associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area comprises:

determining a sector area by taking a vertex of the corner as a circle center and a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to the vertex of the corner as a radius, and taking the sector area as the to-be-swept area; or

determining a rectangular area by taking a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to any side of the corner as a half side length, and taking the rectangular area as the to-be-swept area.

2. The robot control method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining, by the robot, the position when the robot is released from being hijacked based on the relocalization operation, comprises:

obtaining the environmental information around a current position when the robot recognizes that the robot is released from being hijacked; and

locating a pose of the robot in a stored environmental map according to the environmental information around the current position, and taking a position in the pose as the position when the robot is released from being hijacked.

3. The robot control method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining, by the robot, the position when the robot is released from being hijacked based on the relocalization operation, comprises:

moving from the current position to a second position when the robot recognizes that the robot is released from being hijacked, and locating the pose of the robot in a stored environmental map in a moving process; and

determining a position where the robot starts moving as the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, according to a position in the pose and data acquired in the moving process.

4. The robot control method according to claim 1 , wherein prior to the determining, by the robot, the task area to be executed according to the environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, further comprises:

determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked according to a difference between the position when the robot is released from being hijacked and a position when the robot is hijacked.

5. The robot control method according to claim 4 , wherein the determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked according to the difference between the position when the robot is released from being hijacked and the position when the robot is hijacked comprises at least one of situations as follows:

if the position when the robot is released from being hijacked and the position when the robot is hijacked belong to different environmental areas, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked;

if the position when the robot is hijacked is located in a robot running difficulty area and the position when the robot is released from being hijacked is located outside the robot running difficulty area, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked; and

if the position when the robot is hijacked is a charging station position and the position when the robot is released from being hijacked is not a charging station position, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked.

6. The robot control method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining, by the sweeping robot, the to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked, comprises:

determining at least one physical object having a space limiting function in the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked; and

taking a ground area containing the at least one physical object as the to-be-swept area.

7. The robot control method according to claim 1 , wherein the executing the task by the robot within the task area to be executed, comprises:

carrying out, by the sweeping robot, spiral sweeping on the to-be-swept area by taking the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked as a circle center; or

carrying out, by the sweeping robot, tightly packed rows sweeping on the to-be-swept area from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked.

8. A robot, comprising: a mechanical body, wherein the mechanical body is provided with one or more sensors, one or more processors and one or more memories for storing computer instructions; and

the one or more processors for executing the computer instructions for:

determining a position when the robot is released from being hijacked based on relocalization operation;

obtaining environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked through the one or more sensors;

determining the position when the robot is released from being hijacked as a position to continue a task executed before the robot being hijacked and a task area to be executed according to the environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked; and

controlling the robot to execute the task within the task area to be executed;

the robot is a sweeping robot, and the one or more processors, when determining the task area to be executed, specifically for:

determining a to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked;

the one or more processors, when determining the to-be-swept area, specifically for:

recognizing whether the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked contains a corner;

and if the corner is contained, determining an associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area;

the one or more processors, when determining the associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area, specifically for:

determining a sector area by taking a vertex of the corner as a circle center and a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to the vertex of the corner as a radius, and taking the sector area as the to-be-swept area; or

determining a rectangular area by taking a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to any side of the corner as a half side length, and taking the rectangular area as the to-be-swept area.

9. The robot according to claim 8 , the one or more processors, when determining the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, specifically for:

obtaining the environmental information around a current position of the robot through the one or more sensors when the robot is recognized to be released from being hijacked; and

locating a pose of the robot in a stored environmental map according to the environmental information around the current position, and taking a position in the pose as the position when the robot is released from being hijacked.

10. The robot according to claim 8 , the one or more processors, when determining the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, specifically for:

controlling the robot to move from the current position to a second position when the robot is recognized to be released from being hijacked, and locating the pose of the robot in a stored environmental map in a moving process; and

determining a position where the robot starts moving as the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, according to the position in the pose and data acquired in the moving process.

11. The robot according to claim 8 , the one or more processors, when determining the task area to be executed, specifically for:

determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked according to a difference between the position when the robot is released from being hijacked and a position when the robot is hijacked.

12. The robot according to claim 11 , the one or more processors, when determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, are specifically for executing one of the following actions:

if the position when the robot is released from being hijacked and a position when the robot is hijacked belong to different environmental areas, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked;

if the position when the robot is hijacked is located in a robot running difficulty area and the position when the robot is released from being hijacked is located outside the robot running difficulty area, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked; and

if the position when the robot is hijacked is a charging station position and the position when the robot is released from being hijacked is not a charging station position, determining that the robot needs to execute the task at the position when the robot is released from being hijacked.

13. The robot according to claim 8 , the one or more processors, when determining the to-be-swept area, specifically for:

determining at least one physical object having a space limiting function in the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked; and

taking a ground area containing the at least one physical object as the to-be-swept area.

14. The robot according to claim 8 , the one or more processors, when controlling the robot to execute the task within the task area to be executed, specifically for:

controlling the sweeping robot to carry out spiral sweeping on the to-be-swept area by taking the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked as a circle center; or

controlling the sweeping robot to carry out tightly packed rows sweeping on the to-be-swept area from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked.

15. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions, when the computer instructions are executed by one or more processors, the one or more processors are caused to execute the following actions comprising:

determining a position when a robot is released from being hijacked based on relocalization operation of the robot;

determining the position when the robot is released from being hijacked as a position to continue a task executed before the robot being hijacked and a task area to be executed according to environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked; and

controlling the robot to execute the task within the task area to be executed;

wherein the robot is a sweeping robot, and the determining, by the robot, the task area to be executed according to the environmental information around the position when the robot is released from being hijacked, comprises:

determining, by the sweeping robot, a to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked;

wherein the determining, by the sweeping robot, the to-be-swept area according to the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked, further comprises:

recognizing whether the environmental information around the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked contains a corner;

and if the corner is contained, determining an associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area;

and wherein the determining the associated area of the corner as the to-be-swept area comprises:

determining a sector area by taking a vertex of the corner as a circle center and a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to the vertex of the corner as a radius, and taking the sector area as the to-be-swept area; or

determining a rectangular area by taking a distance from the position when the sweeping robot is released from being hijacked to any side of the corner as a half side length, and taking the rectangular area as the to-be-swept area.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2019
From: CEN, BIN
To: ECOVACS ROBOTICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 049776/0004 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 201810797893.5 · Jul 19, 2018 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200023517A1 · Jan 23, 2020