CHARGING STATION IDENTIFYING METHOD, DEVICE, AND ROBOT

• US 20190331767A1
• Filed: 08/30/2018
• Published: 10/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: UBTECH Robotics Corp.
• Original Assignee: UBTECH Robotics Corp.
• Inventors: Xiong, Youjun, Huang, Gaobo, Xie, Wenxue
• Application Number:
  US16/116,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20190331767A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/881 for robotics
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to robot identifying technology, and particularly tot method, a device, and a robot for identifying a charging station. The method includes: obtaining radar data produced by scanning a charging station through a radar of a robot; determining whether a second data block meeting a second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to a first data block meeting a first preset condition existing in the radar data; and determining a charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting a second preset condition existing in the radar data. Through the present disclosure, a robot can identify the charging station accurately from a remote place, and expand the identification range of the recharging of the robot.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented charging station identifying method for a robot comprising a radar, comprising executing on a processor steps of:

obtaining radar data produced by the radar of the robot;

determining whether a second data block meeting a second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to a first data block meeting a first preset condition existing in the radar data; and

determining a charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting a second preset condition existing in the radar data;

wherein, the first preset condition is a fitting operation result of the first data block being less than a preset first threshold, and the second preset condition is a fitting operation result of the second data block being less than a preset second threshold, the first threshold is greater than the second threshold, the first data block includes a preset number of data points in the radar data, and the second data block includes the preset number of the data points in the first data block and a specified number of the other data points in the radar data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first data block meeting the first preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

performing a first fitted circle calculation on the first data block using a least squares method;

obtaining a first radius difference between a first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station as well as a first radius covariance of the first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first radius difference being smaller than a preset first error and the first radius covariance being smaller than a preset first overall error.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first radius difference being smaller than the preset first error and the first radius covariance being smaller than the preset first overall error comprises:

adding a specified number of data points in the radar data based on the first data block to obtain the second data block;

performing a second fitted circle calculation on the second data block using a least squares method;

obtaining a second radius difference between the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station, and a second radius covariance of the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

determining whether the second radius difference is smaller than a second error and whether the second radius covariance is smaller than a second overall error.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting the second preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second radius difference being smaller than the second error and the second radius covariance being smaller than the second overall error.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first data block meeting the first preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

reducing the data block by a determined number of the data points to obtain a next data block, in response to a fitting operation result of the second data block being not meeting the second preset condition;

performing a fitting operation on the next data block to obtain an operation result;

determining whether the result of the fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold;

determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the result of the fitting operation being not exceeding the second threshold; and

performing another fitting operation after reducing the determined number of the data points from the data block, and determining whether the result of the another fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold, in response to the result of the fitting operation being exceeding the second threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of obtaining the radar data produced by the radar of the robot comprises:

filtering the radar data to obtain valid global radar data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein after the step of determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting the second preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

calculating a center position of the arc of the charging station and an orientation of the charging station based on the second data block;

determining a target position of the robot to move and an orientation of the robot based on the center position of the arc of the charging station and the orientation of the charging station;

controlling the robot to move to a specified position substantially in directly front of the charging station based on the target position and the orientation of the robot, and transmitting infrared carrier data to the charging station for verification; and

docking the robot at the charging station to charge, in response to be verification being successful.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the data fitting analysis unit is further configured to:

reduce the data block by a determined number of the data points to obtain a next data block, in response to a fitting operation result of the second data block being not meeting the second preset condition;

perform a fitting operation on the next data block to obtain an operation result;

determine whether the result of the fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold;

determine the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the result of the fitting operation being not exceeding the second threshold; and

perform another fitting operation after reducing the determined number of the data points from the data block, and determine whether the result of the another fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold, in response to the result of the fitting operation being exceeding the second threshold.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the data obtaining unit is further configured to:

filter the radar data to obtain valid global radar data.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the data fitting analysis unit is further configured to:

calculate a center position of the arc of the charging station and an orientation of the charging station based on the second data block;

determine a target position of the robot to move and an orientation of the robot based on the center position of the arc of the charging station and the orientation of the charging station;

control the robot to move to a specified position substantially in directly front of the charging station based on the target position and the orientation of the robot, and transmit infrared carrier data to the charging station for verification; and

dock the robot at the charging station to charge, in response to the verification being successful.

8. A charging station identifying device for a robot, comprising:

a data obtaining unit configured to obtain radar data produced by scanning a charging station through a radar of the robot;

a data fitting analysis unit configured to determine whether a second data block meeting a second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to a first data block meeting a first preset condition existing in the radar data; and

an identification determining unit configured to determine a charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting a second preset condition existing in the radar data.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the data obtaining unit is configured to:

perform a first fitted circle calculation on the first data block using a least squares method;

obtain a first radius difference between a first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station as well as a first radius covariance of the first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

determine whether a second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first radius difference being smaller than a preset first error and the first radius covariance being smaller than a preset first overall error.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the data obtaining unit is configured to:

adding a specified number of data points in the radar data based on the first data block to obtain the second data block;

performing a second fitted circle calculation on the second data block using a least squares method;

obtaining a second radius difference between the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station, and a second radius covariance of the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

determining whether the second radius difference is smaller than a second error and whether the second radius covariance is smaller than a second overall error.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the identification determining unit is configured to:

determine the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second radius difference being smaller than the second error and the second radius covariance being smaller than the second overall error.

15. A robot, comprising a memory, one or more processors, and one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs comprise:

instructions for obtaining radar data produced by scanning a charging station through a radar of the robot;

instructions for determining whether a second data block meeting a second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to a first data block meeting a first preset condition existing in the radar data; and

instructions for determining a charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting a second preset condition existing in the radar data.

16. The robot of claim 15, wherein the instructions for determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first data block meeting the first preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

instructions for performing a first fitted circle calculation on the first data block using a least squares method;

instructions for obtaining a first radius difference between a first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station as well as a first radius covariance of the first fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

instructions for determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first radius difference being smaller than a preset first error and the first radius covariance being smaller than a preset first overall error.

17. The robot of claim 16, wherein the instructions for determining whether the second data block meeting the second preset condition exists in the radar data, in response to the first radius difference being smaller than the preset first error and the first radius covariance being smaller than the preset first overall error comprises:

instructions for adding a specified number of data points in the radar data based on the first data block to obtain the second data block;

instructions for performing a second fitted circle calculation on the second data block using a least squares method;

instructions for obtaining a second radius difference between the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station, and a second radius covariance of the second fitting circle radius and the radius of the arc of the charging station; and

instructions for determining whether the second radius difference is smaller than a second error and whether the second radius covariance is smaller than a second overall error.

18. The robot of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second data block meeting the second preset condition existing in the radar data comprises:

instructions for determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the second radius difference being smaller than the second error and the second radius covariance being smaller than the second overall error.

19. The robot of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further comprises:

instructions for reducing the data block by a determined number of the data points to obtain a next data block, in response to a fitting operation result of the second data block being not meeting the second preset condition;

instructions for performing a fitting operation on the next data block to obtain an operation result;

instructions for determining whether the result of the fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold;

instructions for determining the charging station identified by the robot, in response to the result of the fitting operation being not exceeding the second threshold; and

instructions for performing another fitting operation after reducing the determined number of the data points from the data block, and determining whether the result of the another fitting operation not exceeds the second threshold, in response to the result of the fitting operation being exceeding the second threshold.

20. The robot of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further comprises:

instructions for filtering the radar data to obtain valid global radar data.