Recharging alignment method of robot, and the robot thereof

• US 10,635,115 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UBTECH Robotics Corp.
• Original Assignee: UBTECH Robotics Corp.
• Inventors: Xiong, Youjun, Hu, Jiawen, Huang, Gaobo
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US15/721,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20180373261A1
• Time in Patent Office: 941 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/06 Control of the cleaning action for autonomous devices; Automatic detection of the surface condition before, during or after cleaning
• 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 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a recharging alignment method of a robot and a robot thereof. The recharging alignment method includes adjusting a signal receiver of the robot to a first critical point to obtain position information of the first critical point, adjusting the signal receiver from the first critical point to a second critical point to obtain position information of the second critical point, determining a mid-point of the first critical point arid the second critical point according to the position information of the first critical point and the second critical point, and adjusting the signal receiver to the mid-point to align with the recharging dock, so as to accurately align with the recharging dock.

Claims

1. A recharging alignment method of a robot, comprising:

adjusting a signal receiver of the robot to a first critical point to obtain position information of the first critical point, wherein the signal receiver is configured to receive optical signals emitted from a recharging dock of the first critical point;

adjusting the signal receiver from the first critical point to a second critical point to obtain position information of the second critical point, wherein the signal receiver is configured to receive the optical signals of the second critical point;

determining a mid-point of the first critical point and the second critical point according to the position it of the first critical point and the second critical point; and

adjusting the signal receiver to the mid-point to align with the recharging dock;

wherein the position information of the first critical point is a first deflection angle of the first critical point relative to a reference direction of the robot, and the position information of the second critical point is a second deflection angle of the second critical point relative to the reference direction of the robot;

the step of determining a mid-point of the first critical point and the second critical point according to the position information of the first critical point and the second critical point and adjusting the signal receiver to the mid-point to align with the recharging dock further comprises;

configuring a deflection angle difference between the mid-point and the second critical point to he half of an absolute difference value between the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle; and

adjusting the signal receiver from the second critical point to a position having a third deflection angle of the reference direction until reaching the mid-point, wherein the third deflection angle is configured to be a sum of a minimum value among the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle, and the deflection angle difference.

2. The recharging alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the step of adjusting a signal receiver of a robot to a first critical point further comprises:

configuring a signal state, to be on upon determining the optical signals have, been received, and configuring a signal state to be off upon determining the optical signals have not been received;

detecting a signal state of a current position of the signal receiver;

rotating the signal receiver by a configuration angel along a first direction, and setting the current position as a first critical point until the signal state has been changed;

rotating the signal receiver by the configuration angel along a second direction, and setting the current position as a second critical point until the signal state has been changed.

3. The recharging alignment method according to claim 2, wherein recharging alignment method further comprises:

detecting whether the optical signals are configured with identification information, wherein the optical signals emitted from signal transmitters of the recharging dock are different from each other.

4. The recharging alignment method according to claim 1, wherein the optical signals are infrared signals.

5. An automatic recharging robot, comprising;

a robot body, a memory storage, a signal receiver configured on the robot body, and a processor;

wherein the signal receiver is configured to receive optical signals emitted from an external device;

the memory storage is configured to store computer programs;

the processor is configured to conduct the computer programs to;

control the robot body to rotate to a first critical point to receive the optical signals emitted from a recharging dock to obtain position information of the first critical point;

control the robot body to rotate from the first critical point to a second critical point to receive the optical signals to obtain position information of the second critical point;

determine a mid-point of the first critical point and the second critical point according to the position information of the first critical point and the second critical point;

control the signal receiver to the mid-point to align with the recharging dock;

wherein the position information of the first critical point is a first deflection angle relative to a reference direction of the robot, and the position information of the second critical point is a second deflection angle relative to the reference direction of the robot;

the processor is configured to;

configure a deflection angle difference between the mid-point and the second critical point to be half of an absolute difference value between the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle; and

adjust the signal receiver from the second critical point to a position having a third deflection angle of the reference direction and to reach the mid-point, wherein the third deflection angle is configured to be a sum of a minimum value among the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle, and the deflection angle difference.

6. The robot according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to:

configure a signal state to be on upon determining die optical signals have been received, and configure a signal state to be off upon determining the optical signals have not been received;

detect a signal state of a current position of the signal receiver;

rotate the signal receiver by a configuration angel along a first direction, and set the current position as a first critical point until the signal state has been changed;

rotate the signal receiver by the configuration angel along a second direction, and set the current position as a second critical point until the signal state has been changed.

7. The robot according to claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to detect whether optical signals having identification setting information is received by the signal receiver, wherein the optical signals are emitted in different manner according to different signals emitters of the recharging dock.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing one or more programs stored in a memory storage, the programs are configured to be executed by one or more processor for controlling a robot to:

adjust a signal receiver of the robot to a first critical point to obtain position information of the first critical point, wherein the signal receiver is configured to receive optical signals emitted from a recharging dock of the first critical point;

adjust the signal receiver from the first critical point to a second critical point to obtain position information of the second critical point, wherein the signal receiver is configured to receive the optical signals of the second critical point;

determine a mid-point of the first critical point and the second critical point according to the position information of the first critical point and the second critical point; and

adjust the signal receiver to the mid-point to align with the recharging dock;

wherein the position information of the first critical point is a first deflection angle of the first critical point relative to a reference direction of the robot, and the position information of the second critical point is a second deflection angle of the second critical point relative to the reference direction of the robot;

the one or more programs further control further control the robot to;

configured a deflection angle difference between the mid-point and the second critical point to be half of an absolute difference value between the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle; and

adjust the signal receiver from the second critical point to a position having a third deflection angle of the reference direction until reaching the mid-point, wherein the third deflection angle is configured to be a sim of a minimum value among the first deflection angle and the second deflection angle, and the deflection angle difference.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the one or more programs further control further control the robot to:

configure a signal state to be on upon determining the optical signals have been received, and configuring a signal state to he off upon determining the optical signals have not been received;

detect a signal state of a current position of the signal receiver;

rotate the signal receiver by a Configuration angel along a first direction, and setting the current position as a first critical point until the signal state has been changed;

rotate the signal receiver by the configuration angel along a second direction, and setting the current position as a second critical point until the signal state has been changed.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the one or more programs further control further control the robot to

detect whether the optical signals are configured with identification information, wherein the optical signals emitted from signal transmitters of the recharging dock are different from each other.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the optical signals are infrared signals.