Charging pile, method and device for recognizing the charging pile

• US 10,394,248 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2016
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Rockrobo Technology Co., Ltd., Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Cao, Jingying, He, Hang, Xia, Yongfeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US15/385,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20170177001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• Field of Search: 700259, 2502033, 398170, 382103, 382106, 382291
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/022 Recharging of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2805 Parameters or conditions being sensed
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2852 Elements for displacement of the vacuum cleaner or the accessories therefor, e.g. wheels, casters or nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/2873 Docking units or charging stations for autonomous or robotic vacuum cleaners A47L2201/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/32 Auto pilot mode
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/136 plural reflecting elements forming part of a unitary body G02B5/124 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A charging pile, a method and device for recognizing the charging pile are provided. The charging pile may include: a pile body having a side surface; a power interface provided on the side surface of the pile body to supply power for the autonomous cleaning device; an identification structure arranged on the side surface of the pile body to enable the autonomous cleaning device to recognize a position of the power interface and comprising a plurality of identification elements, each of the plurality of identification elements comprising at least one convex and at least one concave; wherein a retroreflection coefficient of any one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave is smaller than that of the other one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave and sufficient to form a retroreflected light recognizable by the autonomous cleaning device; and wherein at least one of the plurality of identification elements comprises a convex and a concave having mismatched specifications.

Claims

1. A charging pile for an autonomous cleaning device, the charging pile comprising:

a pile body having a side surface;

a power interface provided on the side surface of the pile body to supply power for the autonomous cleaning device;

an identification structure arranged on the side surface of the pile body to enable the autonomous cleaning device to recognize a position of the power interface and comprising a plurality of identification elements, each of the plurality of identification elements comprising at least one convex and at least one concave;

wherein for each identification element, a retroreflection coefficient of the at least one convex is smaller than that of the at least one concave and sufficient to form a retroreflected light recognizable by the autonomous cleaning device; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of identification elements comprises a convex and a concave having mismatched specifications.

2. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein a gray value of any one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave is greater than that of the other one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave such that the retroreflection coefficient of any one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave is smaller than that of the other one of the at least one convex and the at least one concave.

3. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein difference between preset specification parameters of an identification element with matched specifications is not greater than a recognition error of the recognition device, and

difference between preset specification parameters of an identification element with mismatched specifications is greater than the recognition error of the recognition device.

4. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein the preset specification parameter of each convex or each concave is not smaller than a minimum recognizable distance of the recognition device.

5. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein depth between the surface of the convex and the surface of the concave in each identification element is not smaller than the recognition error of the recognition device.

6. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein specification of a bottom surface of the concave cooperates with specification of a side wall of the concave, such that during recognition of any side surface of the charging pile by the recognition device in a preset angle range, the side wall of the concave shields at most a part of the bottom surface and at least one part of the bottom surface of the concave is recognizable, wherein preset specification parameters of the at least one part are not smaller than the recognition error of the recognition device and the minimum recognizable distance of the recognition device.

7. The charging pile of claim 1, wherein multiple identification elements and the convex and the concave of each identification element are arranged in a direction along a preset recognition path of the recognition device to enable the recognition device to sequentially determine preset specification parameters of respective identification elements.

8. A method for recognizing a charging pile, applied in an autonomous cleaning device, the method comprising:

acquiring surface characteristics of surrounding objects;

determining an object as the charging pile when a surface of the object comprises surface characteristics matching with a preset identification structure within an allowed error range;

wherein the preset identification structure comprises a plurality of identification elements, each of the plurality of identification elements comprising at least one convex and at least one concave;

wherein for each identification element, a retroreflection coefficient of the at least one convex is smaller than that of the at least one concave and sufficient to form a retroreflected light recognizable by the autonomous cleaning device; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of identification elements comprises a convex and a concave having mismatched specifications.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the object as the charging pile when the surface of the object comprises the surface characteristics matching with the preset identification structure within the allowed error range comprises:

acquiring preset specification parameters of the convex and the concave on the surface of the object, respectively; and

determining the object as the charging pile when the preset specification parameters of the convex and the concave on the surface of the object respectively match with preset specification parameters of a corresponding part of the preset identification structure.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the object as the charging pile when the surface of the object comprises the surface characteristics matching with the preset identification structure within the allowed error range comprises:

acquiring retroreflection coefficients of the convex and the concave on the surface of the object, respectively; and

determining the object as the charging pile when the retroreflection coefficients of the convex and the concave on the surface of the object respectively match with retroreflection coefficients of a corresponding part of the preset identification structure.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

retrieving a recorded map data when it is determined to return to the charging pile; and

moving, based on the map data, to an area in a preset distance range from a set position of the charging pile marked in the map data to recognize the charging pile by acquiring the surface characteristics of the surrounding objects.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein acquiring the surface characteristics of the surrounding objects comprises:

measuring, by a laser ranging device, distances from surrounding sampling points; and

determining the surface characteristics of the surrounding objects based on the distances.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein acquiring the surface characteristics of the surrounding objects comprises:

measuring, by a laser ranging device, reflected light intensities of the surrounding sampling points; and

determining the surface characteristics of the surrounding objects based on the reflected light intensities.

14. A device for recognizing a charging pile, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory for storing instructions executable by the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to;

acquire surface characteristics of surrounding objects;

determine an object as the charging pile when a surface of the object comprises surface characteristics matching with a preset identification structure within an allowed error range;

wherein the preset identification structure comprises a plurality of identification elements, each of the plurality of identification elements comprising at least one convex and at least one concave;

wherein for each identification element, a retroreflection coefficient of the at least one convex is smaller than that of the at least one concave and sufficient to form a retroreflected light recognizable by the autonomous cleaning device; and

wherein at least one of the plurality of identification elements comprises a convex and a concave having mismatched specifications.