Self-Moving Robot Movement Boundary Drawing Method

• US 20170248956A1
• Filed: 09/25/2015
• Published: 08/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ecovacs Robotics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ecovacs Robotics (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Jinju
• Granted Patent: US 10,520,950 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0221 involving a learning process
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/249 from positioning sensors located off-board the vehicle, e.g. from cameras

Abstract

In a self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method, in step 100: setting up three or more base stations in a movement area of a self-moving robot, and establishing a coordinate system; in step 200: artificially planning a movement path in the movement area of the self-moving robot, gathering sample points on the path, and determining the coordinates of the sample points in the coordinate system; and in step 300: delimiting a boundary according to the coordinates of the gathered sample points, and setting the self-moving robot to work inside or outside the boundary. The present invention achieves a regional division by distance measurement and positioning based on stationary base stations, thus improving accuracy and convenience compared to the prior art.

Claims

1. A self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method, characterized in that, the method comprises the following steps:

step 100;

setting up three or more base stations in a movement area of a self-moving robot, and establishing a coordinate system;

step 200;

artificially planning a movement path in the movement area of the self-moving robot, gathering sample points on the path, and determining the coordinates of the sample points in the coordinate system; and

step 300;

delimiting a boundary according to the coordinates of the gathered sample points, and setting the self-moving robot to work inside or outside the boundary.

2. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

in the step 100, establishing the coordinate system by using one of the base stations as an origin, and calculating distances between the respective base stations by measuring signal transmission time between the respective base stations, whereby determining the coordinates of the respective base stations in the coordinate system.

3. The self-moving robot movement boundary, delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

in the step 200, determining the coordinates of the sample points specifically comprises:

calculating the coordinates of the sample points in the coordinate system by measuring signal transmission time between the self-moving robot and the respective base stations, and

methods for the calculation include;

Geometric Positioning method, Least Squares method or Time Difference Of Arrival method.

4. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

the movement path artificially planned in the step 200 specifically comprises:

a path formed by controlling the self-moving robot to move by a user via an interactive device;

or

a path formed by moving a positioning device provided for the self-moving robot in the movement area after the positioning device is detached from the self-moving robot by the user.

5. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

the gathering of the sample points in the step 200 is an interval gathering which is performed automatically at a preset time interval by the self-moving robot being moved, or is a random gathering which is performed artificially.

6. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a plane coordinate system established using three base stations, and a plane in which the plane coordinate system is located is coplanar with the movement area of the self-moving robot.

7. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 6, characterized in that,

the boundary in the step 300 is an open or closed line formed by the sample points.

8. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 1, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a three-dimensional coordinate system established using four base stations.

9. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 8, characterized in that,

the step 300 specifically comprises:

vertically or non-vertically projecting;

a set of the gathered sample points onto a plane, in which the movement area of the self-moving robot is located, to form mapped points, and

the boundary is an open or closed line formed by connecting the mapped points.

10. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 8, characterized in that,

the boundary in the step 300 is a plane determined using three sample points, or a plane fitted out using three or more sample points.

11. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 8, characterized in that,

the boundary in the step 300 is a surface of a three-dimensional space constructed using a plurality of sample points by interpolating or fitting the sample points into a standard three-dimensional shape or a combination of standard three-dimensional shapes.

12. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 11, characterized in that,

the standard three-dimensional shape is cube, cuboid, sphere or triangular pyramid.

13. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 2, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a plane coordinate system established using three base stations, and a plane in which the plane coordinate system is located is coplanar with the movement area of the self-moving robot.

14. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 3, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a plane coordinate system established using three base stations, and a plane in which the plane coordinate system is located is coplanar with the movement area of the self-moving robot.

15. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 4, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a plane coordinate system established using three base stations, and a plane in which the plane coordinate system is located is coplanar with the movement area of the self-moving robot.

16. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 5, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a plane coordinate system established using three base stations, and a plane in which the plane coordinate system is located is coplanar with the movement area of the self-moving robot.

17. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 2, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a three-dimensional coordinate system established using four base stations.

18. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 3, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a three-dimensional coordinate system established using four base stations.

19. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 4, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a three-dimensional coordinate system established using four base stations.

20. The self-moving robot movement boundary delimiting method of claim 5, characterized in that,

the coordinate system in the step 100 is a three-dimensional coordinate system established using four base stations.