CN108879807A - Charging pile, pile-finding method using the charging pile, and charging control system - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a charging pile, a pile-finding method using the charging pile, and a charging control system, wherein the charging pile includes: a controller and at least two signal transmitting devices; wherein the control The controller controls the at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit optical signals according to the set optical signal transmitting sequence, and encodes the transmitted optical signals; wherein, the optical signals transmitted by each signal transmitting device are encoded to form corresponding radiation codes The radiation coding area formed by the optical signals emitted by adjacent signal transmitting devices partially overlaps in the radiation range. Through the embodiment of the present invention, the automatic cleaning equipment reduces the blind area between the charging pile and the automatic cleaning equipment with a relatively low cost and a relatively simple structure, and improves the pile-finding efficiency of the automatic cleaning equipment.

Description

Charging pile, pile-finding method using the charging pile, and charging control system

technical field

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the technical field of artificial intelligence, and in particular to a charging pile, a method for finding a charging pile using the charging pile, and a charging control system.

Background technique

Automatic cleaning equipment is a kind of smart household appliances. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, it can realize various types of automatic cleaning operations and provide convenience for people's lives. The automatic cleaning equipment uses a rechargeable battery as a power source, and can be separated from an external power source during the cleaning process to achieve a free cleaning operation. When the power of the rechargeable battery is lower than a certain level, the automatic cleaning device needs to identify the corresponding charging pile and return to the identified charging pile for charging.

At present, automatic cleaning equipment mostly realizes the identification of charging piles and returns to charging piles through automatic pile-finding settings. For example, in an existing implementation scheme: in the active area of the automatic cleaning device, an infrared transmitter is installed on the charging pile, and a corresponding infrared receiver is installed on the automatic cleaning device, and the transmitter sends out signals to form a return area. The receiver receives the transmission signal to enter the return area and travels towards the charging pile, so that the automatic cleaning device is docked with the charging pile for charging. The relatively large area of the return area makes it easier for the automatic cleaning equipment to receive the transmission signal to enter the return area and align with the charging pile. The current return area adds a far-field area to the near-field area, that is, in the near-field On the basis of the far-field area, the far-field area is expanded, thereby expanding the area of the return area.

However, as the area of the return flight area expands, the accuracy of the return flight of the automatic cleaning device in such a large return flight area will decrease accordingly, and a more accurate return flight of the automatic cleaning device cannot be guaranteed. At this time, the automatic cleaning equipment is often required to create pile-finding and pile-returning maps. For this, it is necessary to increase the corresponding computing, storage and sensing equipment that can meet the performance requirements, which will lead to an increase in the cost and complexity of the automatic cleaning equipment.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a charging pile, a pile-finding method using the charging pile, and a charging control system, which can realize automatic cleaning without creating a pile-finding and pile-returning map with a relatively low cost and a relatively simple structure Accurate pile-seeking and pile-returning actions of the equipment.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a charging pile is provided, including: a controller and at least two signal transmitting devices; wherein, the controller controls at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit optical signals according to a set optical signal transmitting sequence , and encode the emitted optical signal; wherein, the optical signal emitted by each signal emitting device is encoded to form a corresponding radiation coding area, and the radiation encoding area formed by the optical signals emitted by adjacent signal emitting devices is within the radiation range partially overlap.

Optionally, the at least two signal transmitting devices include a first signal transmitting device and a second signal transmitting device, and the charging pile further includes a spacer, and the spacer is arranged on the center line between the first signal transmitting device and the second signal transmitting device , make the first signal transmitting device and the second signal transmitting device symmetrical about the center line.

Optionally, the first signal transmitting device and the second signal transmitting device comprise at least two signal transmitters respectively, the first signal transmitting device comprises a first signal transmitter and a second signal transmitter, and the second signal transmitting device comprises a third For the signal transmitter and the fourth signal transmitter, the first signal transmitter and the fourth signal transmitter are symmetrical about the neutral line, and the second signal transmitter and the third signal transmitter are symmetrical about the neutral line.

Optionally, the optical signal emitted by the first signal transmitting device is encoded to form the first radiation encoding region, and the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device is encoded to form the second radiation encoding region; The emitted optical signal and the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device are partially shielded, so that the first radiation encoding area and the second radiation encoding area partially overlap in the radiation range.

Optionally, the second signal transmitter and the third signal transmitter adjacent to the two sides of the spacer are arranged vertically forward, and the first signal transmitter and the fourth signal transmitter away from the spacer are respectively connected to the adjacent signal transmitters. Set at a set angle.

Optionally, the set angle is 45 degrees.

Optionally, the at least two signal transmitting devices include an odd number of signal transmitting devices, and the odd number of signal transmitting devices are arranged symmetrically with the midline of one of the signal transmitting devices as a line of symmetry.

Optionally, the optical signal transmitting sequence instructs the at least two signal transmitting devices to alternately or sequentially transmit optical signals, and the codes of the optical signals are different.

Optionally, within one period, the optical signal transmitting sequence instructs each of the at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit optical signals of at least two intensities, and each time interval within one period Each signal transmitting device only emits an optical signal of one intensity.

Optionally, within a period, the optical signal transmission sequence instructs each of the at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit an optical signal of the same intensity, and each signal within a time interval within a period The emitting device only emits an optical signal of one intensity.

Optionally, within the same time interval of one cycle, the at least two signal transmitting devices transmit optical signals synchronously, and the synchronously transmitted optical signals have the same intensity and the same encoding, thus forming a near-field radiation encoding area.

Optionally, the spacer is a light shield.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided a method for finding a charging pile. Using the aforementioned charging pile, the method includes: analyzing the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile, and obtaining the corresponding Optical signal coding sequence; according to the optical signal coding sequence and the stored area and coding sequence comparison table, determine the current area of the device.

Optionally, the method further includes: analyzing the received light signal sequence from the charging pile to obtain light source direction information; adjusting the moving direction of the device according to the area where it is located and the light source direction information.

Optionally, analyzing the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile, and obtaining the coded sequence of the optical signal includes: analyzing the coded sequence of the optical signal according to a pre-stored time period, and obtaining the coded sequence of the optical signal for each period .

Optionally, adjusting the movement direction of the device according to the area information and the light source direction information includes: estimating the position of the center line of symmetry of the signal emitting device according to the area information and the light source direction information; adjusting the position of the device so that the alignment line of the device is aligned with the symmetrical The positions of the center lines coincide; the device is moved along the symmetrical center line, so that the charging interface of the device is connected with the charging connector of the charging pile.

Optionally, before analyzing the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile, the method further includes: receiving the optical signal sequence from the charging pile through multiple optical receivers, wherein the multiple optical receivers include at least two large An angle light receiver and an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging post; alternatively, the plurality of light receivers includes a full angle light receiver and an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging post.

According to yet another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic cleaning device, including: at least two large-angle light receivers and a processor; wherein, at least two large-angle light receivers are set in automatic cleaning according to a set angle. The housing of the cleaning device is used to receive the light signal from the charging pile; the processor is used to perform the operation corresponding to the aforementioned charging pile finding method.

Optionally, the automatic cleaning device further includes alignment light receivers for aligning with the charging pile; the three large-angle light receivers and the alignment light receivers are evenly arranged on the peripheral wall of the casing of the automatic cleaning device.

According to yet another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, there is also provided an automatic cleaning device, including: an omni-angle optical receiver and a processor; wherein, the omni-angle receiver is arranged on the housing of the automatic cleaning device according to a set angle, It is used to receive the optical signal from the charging pile; the processor is used to execute the operation corresponding to the aforementioned charging pile finding method.

Optionally, the automatic cleaning device further includes an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging pile; the full-angle receiver and the alignment light receiver are uniformly arranged on the peripheral wall of the casing of the automatic cleaning device.

According to yet another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a charging control system is further provided, including: the aforementioned charging pile and the aforementioned automatic cleaning device.

Through the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention, at least two signal transmitting devices capable of transmitting optical signals are provided in the charging pile. With this arrangement, the radiation range of the optical signal emitted by the signal transmitting device can be divided into multiple regions, including radiation overlapping regions and respective radiation regions except the overlapping regions. By encoding different optical signals emitted by the signal transmitting device, the automatic cleaning equipment can determine the current area according to the encoding of the optical signal after receiving the optical signal during the process of finding and returning the pile, and then carry out subsequent operations. Operation, such as continuing to travel in the current direction or changing the direction before proceeding, so as to travel to an area closer to the charging pile, and finally return to the charging pile.

It can be seen that through the solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention, on the one hand, there is no need to provide additional pile-finding and pile-returning settings for the automatic cleaning equipment, and it is not necessary for the automatic cleaning equipment to have the ability to create a coordinate map, and any device with the function of emitting light signals The signal emitting device such as the infrared light emitting device can realize the solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, thereby reducing the blind area between the charging pile and the automatic cleaning equipment, and improving the pile-finding efficiency of the automatic cleaning equipment.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a charging pile according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the charging pile shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a radiation encoding region of an optical signal in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are schematic diagrams of the arrangement structure of an optical signal transmitting device in another embodiment;

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the radiation encoding region of the optical signal of the optical signal transmitting device of Fig. 4 and Fig. 5;

7 and 8 are schematic structural views of an automatic cleaning device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an automatic cleaning device according to an implementation manner of Example 2 of the present invention;

Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 are schematic diagrams of the pile-finding and pile-returning process of the automatic cleaning equipment according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of an automatic cleaning device according to another embodiment of the second embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13 is a flow chart of the steps of a charging pile finding method according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

1. Charging pile; 101. First signal transmitter; 102. Second signal transmitter; 1011. First signal transmitter; 1012. Second signal transmitter; 1021. Third signal transmitter; 1022. Fourth signal Transmitter; 108, spacer; 1081, baffle; 111, housing; 110, controller; 112, light-transmitting part; 113, charging connector; 2, automatic cleaning equipment; 201, processor; 202, aiming light Receiver; 203, large-angle optical receiver; 204, full-angle optical receiver; M, symmetrical midline of signal processing device; M2, alignment line of automatic cleaning equipment; J1, first near-field area; Y1, first Far field area; J2, second near field area; Y2, second far field area; J3, third near field area; Y3, third far field area; J4, fourth near field area; Y4, fourth far field area JD1, the first near-field overlapping area; YD1, the first far-field overlapping area; JD2, the second near-field overlapping area; YD2, the second far-field overlapping area; JD3, the third near-field overlapping area; YD3, the second Three far-field overlapping regions.

Detailed ways

The specific implementation manners of the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings (the same symbols in several drawings indicate the same elements) and the embodiments. The following examples serve to illustrate the invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Those skilled in the art can understand that terms such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to distinguish different steps, devices or modules, etc. necessary logical sequence.

Embodiment one

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , a schematic structural diagram of a charging pile according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention is shown.

The charging pile 1 of this embodiment includes a substantially L-shaped housing 111 , which is disposed on a fixed object such as the ground or a wall, and a light-transmitting portion 112 is provided on the housing 111 .

The charging pile also includes a controller and at least two signal transmitting devices, wherein the controller controls at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit optical signals according to the set optical signal transmitting sequence, and encode the emitted optical signals; wherein, each The optical signals transmitted by the signal transmitting devices are coded to form corresponding radiation coding regions, and the radiation coding regions formed by the optical signals emitted by adjacent signal transmitting devices partially overlap in radiation range.

The charging pile in this embodiment is provided with at least two signal emitting devices, and the optical signal emitted by each signal emitting device is encoded to form a corresponding radiation encoding area, and the radiation encoding area formed by the optical signals emitted by adjacent signal emitting devices is in the Part of the radiation range overlaps, and the radiation area is divided into different coded areas by coding. The supporting automatic cleaning equipment can distinguish the area where the automatic cleaning equipment is located by analyzing the code, and then perform pile-finding and pile-returning operations according to different areas. There is no need to create additional maps for pile-finding and pile-returning, and there is no need to add corresponding hardware. Any signal emitting device with the function of emitting optical signals, such as an infrared light emitting device, can be used to ensure accurate pile-finding and pile-returning performance. Effectively reduce the cost of charging piles and automatic cleaning equipment.

In an optional embodiment, at least two signal transmitting devices include a first signal transmitting device 101 and a second signal transmitting device 102, the charging pile 1 further includes a spacer 108, and the spacer 108 is arranged on the first signal transmitting device On the midline M between 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 are symmetrical about the midline M.

Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the charging pile 1 includes a first signal transmitting device 101, a second signal transmitting device 102, and a spacer 108, and the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 are arranged at intervals. In the light-transmitting part 112 , the light signals emitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal-transmitting device 102 can be transmitted through the light-transmitting part 112 . The spacer 108 is disposed on the midline M between the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device, so that the centers of the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 are symmetrical.

The charging pile 1 also includes a controller 110, the controller 110 is installed in the charging pile 1, the controller 110 controls the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to transmit optical signals according to the set optical signal transmitting sequence, and to The emitted optical signal is encoded. The optical signal transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 is encoded to form a first radiation encoding region, and the optical signal transmitted by the second signal transmitting device 102 is encoded to form a second radiation encoding region. In this embodiment, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 respectively include a signal transmitter. However, in other implementation manners, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 may also include multiple signal transmitters respectively, and implementations including multiple signal transmitters will be described later.

The spacer 108 partially shields the optical signal transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 and the optical signal transmitted by the second signal transmitting device 102 . Specifically, the spacer 108 is used to partially separate the optical signal transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 toward the second signal transmitting device 102, and the optical signal transmitted by the second signal transmitting device 102 toward the first signal transmitting device 101. Occlusion such that the first radiation-encoded region and the second radiation-encoded region partially overlap in radiation range. Specifically, the first radiation coding area and the second radiation coding area are two fan-shaped areas, and the two fan-shaped areas form a fan-shaped overlapping area in front of the spacer. The fan-shaped overlap area is symmetrical with respect to the midline M.

In an optional solution, the spacer 108 may use a shading plate. Compared with other spacers 108, the shading plate is simple to implement, cheap and low in cost. The function of the spacer 108 will be described in detail later.

Optionally, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 may be any suitable devices capable of emitting optical signals, including but not limited to: devices emitting infrared light, devices emitting visible light, and the like. Preferably, in the embodiment of the present invention, a signal emitting device that emits infrared light is selected. On the one hand, infrared light has good stability, is cheap, and has low implementation cost; on the other hand, compared with visible light, which is visible to the human eye and is easily affected by the environment, infrared light is not easily disturbed by other light sources and is invisible. The experience is better.

The controller 110 codes the optical signals transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102, and the coded optical signal can be received in the area irradiated by the optical signal transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101. The area irradiated by the optical signal emitted by the second signal transmitting device 102 may receive the corresponding coded optical signal.

Optionally, the optical signals transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 have different codes. In this way, it is convenient for the signal receiving device to judge the source of the optical signal according to the code, and then to preliminarily judge the location of the signal receiving device.

Optionally, the optical signal transmission sequence may instruct the signal transmitting device to transmit the optical signal according to a certain cycle cycle, for example, within a period, the signal transmitting device may transmit signals according to a set time interval, and the set time interval may be determined by those skilled in the art. The personnel can be properly set according to actual needs, such as transmitting a signal every t seconds, etc., t can be any suitable time such as 0.1 second, 0.2 second, 0.5 second, etc. The embodiment of the present invention does not limit the specific transmission time interval. However, the optical signal transmission sequence is not limited to transmitting signals at fixed time intervals, and other transmission rules may also be adopted.

Optionally, as a possible way of transmitting the optical signal sequence, the optical signal transmitting sequence may instruct the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to transmit optical signals cyclically with a period of 2t, that is, the first The signal transmitting device 101 transmits an optical signal coded as A, and the second signal transmitting device 102 transmits an optical signal coded as B, where A and B adopt different codes.

In this way, the optical radiation encoding area around the charging pile 1 is divided into: the first area that can only receive the A signal, the second area that can only receive the B signal, and the area that can receive both the A signal and the B signal overlapping area. In this way, the automatic cleaning equipment that cooperates with the charging pile 1 can judge the current location through the coded time sequence of the recognized optical signal. For example, if the automatic cleaning device can only receive the A signal periodically, it can be judged that the automatic cleaning device is in the first area, and similarly, it can only be judged to be in the second area if it can only receive the B signal periodically; if the automatic cleaning device can If A signal and B signal are received alternately, it means that the automatic cleaning equipment is in the overlapping area.

Optionally, the controller 110 can also control the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to cyclically transmit optical signals with the same or different intensities in accordance with the order indicated by the optical signal transmitting sequence, and, in one cycle, one Each signal emitting device only emits an optical signal of one intensity within a time interval. In a time interval when all signal transmitting devices have transmitted signals, each signal transmitting device only transmits signals with one intensity, which can avoid that in a time interval, a signal transmitting device continuously transmits signals of different intensities, resulting in different Intensity signals interfere with each other. A period may consist of one or at least two time intervals.

Optionally, within one cycle, the optical signal transmitting sequence instructs each signal transmitting device to transmit optical signals of at least two intensities. Preferably, each signal emitting device emits optical signals with different intensities every two adjacent times. That is to say, a cycle is divided into at least two time intervals. In one time interval, each signal emitting device only emits an optical signal of one intensity, and in different adjacent time intervals, the intensity of the optical signal emitted by the same signal emitting device is different. .

For example, when the controller controls the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to emit optical signals with different intensities every two adjacent times according to the optical signal transmitting sequence, in each cycle, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 according to the interval of t seconds, sequentially transmit A1, B1, A2, B2 wherein, A1, A2 can adopt the same or different codes, and the light intensity of A1, A2 is different (that is, the irradiation range is different ); B1 and B2 can adopt the same or different codes, and the light intensities of B1 and B2 are different (that is, the irradiation ranges are different). The intensity of the light signals of A1 and B1 is the same (strong light); the intensity of the light signals of A2 and B2 is the same (weak light). The cycle mentioned here refers to the time used by all the signal transmitting devices to transmit all the optical signals with different intensities for a complete cycle. Wherein, A1 and B1 are the first time interval, and A2 and B2 are the second time interval.

In another manner, the manner of A1, B2, A2, B1 may also be adopted, wherein A1, B2 are the first time interval, and A2, B1 are the second time interval. That is, in a time interval, the signal strengths transmitted by different signal transmitters can also be different, but each signal transmitter still only transmits a signal of one intensity, and the signals transmitted by each signal transmitter in two adjacent time intervals The intensity of the light signal varies.

For another example, the controller 110 can also control the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to respectively transmit optical signals with three different intensities of strong, medium and weak. The signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 transmit A1 , B1 , A2 , B2 , A3 , and B3 sequentially at intervals of t seconds. Wherein A1, B1 is the first time interval, A2, B2 is the second time interval, A3, B3 is the third time interval. Among them, A1, A2, and A3 can adopt the same or different codes, and the light intensities of A1, A2, and A3 are different (that is, different irradiation ranges), preferably in the order of strong, medium, and weak, but not limited thereto; B1 , B2, and B3 can use the same or different codes, and the light intensities of B1, B2, and B3 are different (that is, the irradiation ranges are different), preferably in the order of strong, medium, and weak, but not limited thereto. Preferably, the strong, medium and weak intensity levels of A1, A2, A3 and B1, B2, B3 are basically the same. Using three or more intensities to emit light signals can make a finer division of the area around the charging pile 1, and the automatic cleaning device can judge the current position more accurately according to the encoded time sequence of the received light signals, and then More reasonable planning of movement routes, improve pile-finding efficiency.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the standard for distinguishing the intensity of strong light and weak light in the industry can be adopted, and can also be customized according to the actual situation. For example, the light signal whose intensity is greater than the first set intensity is set as strong. For an optical signal, an optical signal whose set intensity is less than the second set intensity is a weak light signal; wherein, the first set intensity is greater than the second set intensity, and the specific intensity standard is appropriately set by those skilled in the art according to actual needs, and can be It only needs to clearly distinguish the strong light signal from the weak light signal, and the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the specific intensity standards of the first set intensity and the second set intensity.

Optionally, the spacer 108 may be any suitable device with the function of shielding the optical signal, so as to shield the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device 102 from the side of the first signal emitting device 101, and shield the light signal from the side of the second signal emitting device 102. The optical signal transmitted by the first signal transmitting device 101. The device can be set to a certain length by those skilled in the art according to actual needs, so that the first illuminated coding area formed by the optical signal emitted by the first signal emitting device 101 and the first illuminated coding area formed by the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device 102 Two irradiation coding regions, the two irradiation coding regions partially overlap in the irradiation range. Wherein, the partially overlapping range can be set by those skilled in the art according to actual needs, so that it is easy to be recognized by the automatic cleaning equipment, and it is not easy for other areas to interfere with each other.

Hereinafter, a specific example is used to illustrate the charging pile 1 provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In this example, the controller 110 controls the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 to transmit optical signals with two different intensities respectively, and in each cycle 4t, the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal The transmitting device 102 transmits A1, B1, A2, and B2 sequentially according to the interval of t seconds. Among them, A1 and A2 can adopt the same or different codes, and A1 is a strong light signal, A2 is a weak light signal, and the intensity of A2 is about 1/4 of A1; B1 and B2 can use the same or different codes, B1 is a strong light signal, B2 is a weak light signal, and the intensity of B2 is about 1/4 of B1

In this case, A2 and B2 form a near-field radiation-encoded region, and A1 and B1 form a far-field illuminated region. The purpose of dividing the area into a near-field radiation encoding area and a far-field radiation encoding area is to enable the charging device to identify the distance between itself and the charging pile 1, and then to control the direction and orientation of the movement more precisely. The specific components of the near-field radiation coding region and the far-field radiation coding region will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 .

In the case of weak light emission, the near-field radiation coding region includes a first near-field region J1 formed by the first signal emitting device 101 alone, a second near-field region J2 formed by the second signal emitting device 102 alone, and a The first near-field overlapping region JD1 formed by the cross-irradiation of the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 is formed. Specifically as shown in FIG. 2, wherein, due to the occlusion of the spacer 108, the first near-field region J1 can receive the A2 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal; the second near-field region J2 can receive the B2 light, but The A2 signal cannot be received; while the first near-field overlapping area JD1 can receive both the A2 signal and the B2 signal.

In the case of strong light emission, in the far-field radiation encoding area, in addition to the above-mentioned near-field radiation encoding area, three areas are also formed outside the near-field radiation encoding area, including the single irradiation by the first signal transmitting device 101 The first far field region Y1 formed, the second far field region Y2 formed by the second signal emitting device 102 being irradiated alone, and the first far field region Y2 formed by the cross irradiation of the first signal emitting device 101 and the second signal emitting device 102 Overlapping area YD1. Those skilled in the art should understand that the actually formed three intense light radiation coding regions are the regions formed by the first near-field region J1 and the first far-field region Y1, and the regions formed by the second near-field region J2 and the second far-field region Y2. area, and the area formed by the first near-field overlapping area JD1 and the first far-field overlapping area YD1. As shown in Figure 3, the first far-field area Y1 can receive the A1 signal, but cannot receive the A2 signal, the second far-field area Y2 can receive the B1 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal, and the first far-field area Y2 can receive the B1 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal, and the first The far-field overlapping area YD1 can receive both the A1 signal and the B1 signal, but cannot receive the A2 and B2 signals. In addition, because the irradiation range of strong light can cover the irradiation range of weak light, therefore, the first near-field area J1 can also receive the A1 signal in addition to the A2 signal; the second near-field area J2 can receive the B2 signal in addition to the In addition to the signals, the B1 signal can also be received; while the first near-field overlapping area JD1 can receive the A2, B2, A1 and B1 signals.

In an optional embodiment, the emission sequence of the optical signal in a period 4t (when t is taken as 0.1 second) is: A1, B1, A2, B2, and the emission interval is once every 0.1 second, If the optical signal received by the automatic cleaning device at 0.1 second is A1, and the optical signal received by the automatic cleaning device at 0.2 second is B1, it can be determined that the automatic cleaning device is currently located in the first near-field overlapping area JD1 or the first far-field overlapping In area YD1, if the optical signal received at 0.3 seconds is A2, it can be determined that the automatic cleaning device is currently located in the first near-field overlapping area JD1; if the automatic cleaning device does not receive the optical signal at 0.3 seconds, it can be determined that the automatic cleaning device The device is in the first far-field overlapping area YD1; and so on. For another example, if the automatic cleaning device receives the optical signal A1 at the 0.1 second, does not receive the optical signal at the 0.2 second, and receives the optical signal A2 at the 0.3 second, it can be determined that the automatic cleaning device is currently located in the first near-field area J1 ; If the optical signal received by the cleaning device at 0.1 second is A1, and no optical signal is received at 0.2 second and 0.3 second, it can be determined that the automatic cleaning device is currently located in the first far-field area Y1. Other situations are similar to the foregoing situation, and will not be repeated here. For details, please refer to Table 1 below.

Table 1 Correspondence between different regions and coded sequences received in one cycle

When the automatic cleaning device cooperates with the charging pile 1 of this embodiment, it can judge the relative position between itself and the charging pile 1 according to the code and sequence of the received optical signal. Specifically, taking the above charging pile 1 as an example, the automatic cleaning device judges that it is currently in the first near-field area J1, the first far-field area Y1, the second near-field area J2, the second far-field area Y2, and the first near-field area. The overlapping area JD1 and the first far-field overlapping area YD1. After the automatic cleaning device determines the area where it is located, it can adjust the direction of movement so that the automatic cleaning device moves towards the direction and position close to the midline M. For example, when the automatic cleaning device is in the first near-field area J1, the first far-field area Y1, the second near-field area J2 or the second far-field area Y2, the moving direction can be adjusted to move toward the first near-field overlapping area JD1 or The first far-field overlapping area YD1 moves, and finally aligns the moving direction with the midline M, and then moves along the midline M, so that the automatic cleaning device is aligned with the charging pile 1, and then the automatic docking and charging of the automatic cleaning device and the charging pile 1 is realized. The specific alignment manner is not limited thereto, and any scheme suitable for fast alignment can be adopted.

It can be seen that through the solution of this embodiment, first and second signal emitting devices that can emit optical signals are provided in the charging pile 1, and the interval between the first and second signal emitting devices that can block optical signals device. With this arrangement, the irradiation ranges of the optical signals emitted by the first and second signal emitting devices can be divided into multiple regions, including the overlapping regions of the two irradiations and the respective radiation encoding regions except the overlapping regions. By encoding different optical signals emitted by the signal emitting device, the automatic cleaning equipment can determine the current radiation encoding area according to the encoding of the optical signal after receiving the optical signal in the process of pile-finding and returning to the pile, and then carry out Subsequent operations, such as continuing to travel in the current direction or changing the direction, so as to travel to an area closer to the charging pile 1, and finally return to the charging pile.

With the charging pile 1 provided by the embodiment of the present invention, on the one hand, there is no need to provide additional pile-finding and pile-returning settings for the automatic cleaning device, and it is not necessary for the automatic cleaning device to have the ability to create coordinate maps, and any charging pile with the function of emitting light signals A signal emitting device such as an infrared light emitting device, and a spacer with the function of blocking light signals such as a shading plate can realize the solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, so that the automatic cleaning equipment finds and returns piles easily and at low cost.

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 show the configuration structure of another signal transmitting device of the charging pile 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The principle of the charging pile 1 is similar, except that in the foregoing embodiments, each signal transmitting device includes one signal transmitter, but in this embodiment, each signal transmitting device includes at least two signal transmitters. The structure and operation mode of the charging pile 1 will be further described below.

A first signal transmitting device 101 and a second signal transmitting device 102 are arranged on both sides of the spacer 108 respectively, and the first signal transmitting device 101 and the second signal transmitting device 102 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the spacer 108 . Wherein the first signal transmitter 101 comprises a first signal transmitter 1011 and a second signal transmitter 1012, the second signal transmitter 102 comprises a third signal transmitter 1021 and a fourth signal transmitter 1022; the first signal transmitter 1011 The second signal transmitter 1012 and the third signal transmitter 1021 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the midline M. The first signal transmitter 1011 and the second signal transmitter 1012, the other side is provided with a third signal transmitter 1021 and a fourth signal transmitter 1022 to transmit A, B, C, D encoded signals respectively, and A, B, C , D codes are not the same.

Optionally, as shown in FIG. 5 , the axes of the second signal transmitter 1012 and the third signal transmitter 1021 are arranged substantially parallel to the midline M, and the axes of the first signal transmitter 1011 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 are arranged parallel to the midline M. M is arranged obliquely in a direction away from the centerline M at a predetermined angle, so that the four signal transmitters form four overlapping radiation areas. Preferably, the first signal transmitter 1011 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 far away from the spacer 108 are respectively arranged at a set angle with adjacent signal transmitters, preferably, the set angle is 45 degrees, as shown in FIG. 5 Show. Specifically, the angle between the axes of the first signal transmitter 1011 and the second signal transmitter 1012 is preferably 45 degrees, and the angle between the axes of the third signal transmitter 1021 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 is preferably 45 degrees. However, the predetermined included angle is not limited to 45 degrees, and can also be any other suitable angle.

Optionally, a baffle 1081 is also provided at the front end of the spacer 108. The baffle 1081 is preferably arranged at a certain angle with the spacer 108, preferably perpendicular to the spacer 108. The baffle 1081 can effectively reduce the contact with the spacer 108. Mutual interference of signals between adjacent optical signal transmitters, such as the second signal transmitter 1012 and the third signal transmitter 1021 . Taking this embodiment as an example, the baffles 1081 are equally long and symmetrically distributed on both sides of the spacer 108. Optionally, the baffles 1081 can also be fixed on both sides of the spacer 108 in an asymmetrical manner, because The position on the device 108 can be adjusted appropriately, so that the shapes of the formed first radiation coding area and the second radiation coding area can be adjusted correspondingly, so as to improve the alignment effect of the receiving lamp and cooperate with the automatic cleaning equipment to pass the radiation coding more accurately Look for charging piles in the area.

As shown in Figure 6, optionally, the controller controls the first signal transmitter 1011, the second signal transmitter 1012, the third signal transmitter 1021 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 to emit light with two different intensities respectively signal, in each period of 8t, the first signal transmitter 1011, the second signal transmitter 1012, the third signal transmitter 1021 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 transmit A1, B1, C1, D1, A2, B2, C2, D2 Among them, A1, A2 can use the same or different codes, and the light intensity of A1, A2 is different (that is, the irradiation range is different); B1, B2 can use the same or different codes codes, and the light intensities of B1 and B2 are different (that is, the irradiation ranges are different); C1 and C2 can adopt the same or different codes, and the light intensities of C1 and C2 are different (that is, the irradiation ranges are different); D1 and D2 can be The same or different codes are used, and the light intensities of D1 and D2 are different (that is, the irradiation ranges are different). Among them, the optical signals of A1, B1, C1, and D1 have the same intensity, and the optical signals of A2, B2, C2, and D2 have the same intensity. In this way, one cycle is divided into two time intervals, and A1, B1, C1, and D1 are the first A time interval, A2, B2, C2, D2 are the second time interval. In each time interval, each signal emitting device only emits an optical signal of one intensity.

Further, A1, B1, C1, and D1 are all strong light signals; A2, B2, C2, and D2 are all weak light signals. Referring to the implementation of the aforementioned two signal transmitting devices, the relationship between each region and the code sequence of the received signal is as follows in Table 2:

Table 2 Correspondence between different regions and coded sequences received in one cycle

Wherein, in the case of weak light emission, the near-field radiation coding area includes the first near-field area J1 formed by the first signal transmitter 1011 alone, and the second near-field area J2 formed by the second signal transmitter 1012 alone, And the first near-field overlapping region JD1 formed by the cross-irradiation of the first signal transmitter 1011 and the second signal transmitter 1012, the second near-field overlapping region JD1 formed by the cross-irradiation of the second signal transmitter 1012 and the third signal transmitter 1021 Area JD2, the first near-field area J3 formed by the third signal transmitter 1021 alone, the second near-field area J4 formed by the fourth signal transmitter 1022 alone, and the third signal transmitter 1021 and the fourth The signal transmitter 1022 is composed of a third near-field overlapping region JD3 formed by cross-irradiation. Specifically as shown in FIG. 6 , where, since the first signal transmitter 1011 is arranged obliquely away from the midline M, the first near-field region J1 can receive the A2 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal; while the first near-field region J1 The overlapping area JD1 can receive both A2 and B2 signals; the second near-field area J2 can receive B2 signals, but cannot receive A2 or C2 signals; the second near-field overlapping area JD2 can receive both B2 signals signal, and can also receive the C2 signal; similarly, the third near-field area J3 can receive the C2 signal, but cannot receive the B2 or D2 signal; the third near-field overlapping area JD3 can receive both the C2 signal and the to the D2 signal; the fourth near-field area J4 can receive the D2 signal, but cannot receive the C2 signal;

In the case of strong light emission, in the far-field radiation encoding area, in addition to the above-mentioned near-field radiation encoding area, 7 areas are also formed outside the near-field radiation encoding area, including those illuminated by the first signal transmitter 1011 alone The first far-field area Y1 is formed, the second far-field area Y2 is formed by the second signal transmitter alone, and the far-field overlapping area YD1 is formed by the cross-irradiation of the first signal transmitter 1011 and the second signal transmitter 1012 , and the second far-field overlapping area YD2 formed by the cross irradiation of the second signal transmitter 1012 and the third signal transmitter 1021, the first far-field area Y3 formed by the third signal transmitter 1021 alone, and the fourth signal The emitter 1022 alone irradiates the second far-field region Y4 formed, and the third far-field overlapping region YD3 formed by the third signal emitter 1021 and the fourth signal emitter 1022 cross-irradiated and formed.

Those skilled in the art should understand that the actually formed seven intense light radiation coding regions are the regions formed by the first near-field region J1 and the first far-field region Y1, and the regions formed by the second near-field region J2 and the second far-field region Y2. area, the area formed by the first near-field overlapping area JD1 and the first far-field overlapping area YD1, the area formed by the second near-field overlapping area JD2 and the second far-field overlapping area YD2, the third near-field area J3 and the third far The area formed by the field area Y3, the area formed by the fourth near-field area J4 and the fourth far-field area Y4, the area formed by the third near-field overlapping area JD3 and the third far-field overlapping area YD3.

As shown in Figure 6, the first far-field area Y1 can receive the A1 signal, but cannot receive the A2 signal; the second far-field area Y2 can receive the B1 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal; the first far-field area Y2 can receive the B1 signal, but cannot receive the B2 signal; Field overlapping area YD1 can receive both A1 and B1 signals, but cannot receive A2 and B2 signals; the second far-field overlapping area YD2 can receive both B1 and C1 signals, but cannot B2 and C2 signals are received; the third far-field area Y3 can receive the C1 signal, but cannot receive the C2 signal; the fourth far-field area Y4 can receive the D1 signal, but cannot receive the D2 signal; and the third far-field area Y3 can receive the D1 signal, but cannot receive the D2 signal; The overlapping area YD3 can receive both the C1 signal and the D1 signal, but cannot receive the C2 and D2 signals. In addition, because the irradiation range of strong light can cover the irradiation range of weak light, therefore, the first near-field area J1 can also receive the A1 signal in addition to the A2 signal; the second near-field area J2 can receive the B2 signal in addition to the In addition to the signal, the B1 signal can also be received; the first near-field overlapping area JD1 can receive A2, B2, A1 and B1 signals; the second near-field overlapping area JD2 can receive B2, C2, B1 and C1 signals In addition to receiving the C2 signal, the third near-field area J3 can also receive the C1 signal; the fourth near-field area J4 can also receive the D1 signal in addition to the D2 signal; the third near-field overlapping area JD3 can receive C2, D2, C1 and D1 signals.

It should be noted that the signal transmission order of the four signal transmitters is not limited to the above sequential transmission mode, and an alternate circulation mode can also be used, for example, when transmitting optical signals with two different intensities, in each cycle , the four signal transmitters sequentially transmit A1, C1, B1, D1, A2, C2, B2, D2, etc. according to the set time interval, that is, different signal transmitting devices transmit optical signals of the same intensity within a time interval; in addition Ways of A1, B2, C1, D2, A2, B1, C2, and D1 may also be used, that is, within a time interval, the intensities of the optical signals emitted by different signal emitting devices are not completely the same. And so on. But it is not limited thereto, and any transmission manner that can be realized in the field can be used. In addition, the optical signal intensity levels are not limited to two levels, but can also be one level or three levels or more.

In addition, each group of signal transmitting devices is not limited to include one or two signal transmitters, and more signal transmitters may also be used.

As another optional implementation manner, within a time interval of a cycle, the at least two signal transmitting devices synchronously transmit low-intensity optical signals, and the synchronously transmitted optical signals have the same intensity and the same encoding, This forms a near-field radiation-encoded region.

Taking the above four signal transmitters as an example, in each period of 5t, the first signal transmitter 1011, the second signal transmitter 1012, the third signal transmitter 1021 and the fourth signal transmitter 1022 operate according to t seconds The interval time of , transmit A1, B1, C1, D1 in sequence. A1, B1, C1, and D1 are strong light signals; the difference from the previous embodiment is that at time 5t, the four signal transmitters transmit a weak light signal E at the same time, and the encoding of E is different from that of A1, B1, and C1 , D1. Referring to the previous embodiment, the relationship between each region and the coding sequence of the received signal is as follows in Table 3:

Table 3 Correspondence between different regions and coded sequences received in one cycle

The advantage of this is that it can shorten the time of one cycle from the original 8t to 5t, which can greatly improve the positioning efficiency. The signal E is only used to identify the areas that currently belong to the near-field radiation coding area and the far-field radiation coding area, while the more accurate area identification is identified through strong light signals A1, B1, C1, and D1.

In another implementation manner not shown in the figure, the signal transmitting device may also include an odd number of signal transmitting devices, wherein the odd number of signal transmitting devices are arranged symmetrically with the midline of one of the signal transmitting devices as a line of symmetry. That is to say, compared with the above embodiment of an even number of signal transmitting devices, the technical signal transmitting device sets a signal transmitting device at the position of the midline M, so that after the charging device receives the signal transmitted by the intermediate signal transmitting device, it can It is judged to be located near the midline M, which is conducive to the operation of aligning with the midline M more quickly. The principle of area division and judgment of an odd number of signal transmitting devices is basically the same as that of the above two implementation manners.

Generally speaking, the charging pile in this embodiment is provided with more than two signal transmitting devices, and encodes the optical signals emitted by the signal transmitting devices, and transmits according to the set optical signal transmitting sequence, and according to the code of the received optical signal The automatic cleaning equipment can accurately identify the area where it is located, and can quickly and effectively identify and align with the symmetrical center line M of the signal transmitting device, and then efficiently and automatically complete the connection and charging of the charging pile. Action, that is, it reduces the blind area between the charging pile and the automatic cleaning equipment, and improves the pile-finding efficiency of the automatic cleaning equipment.

On this basis, the charging pile of this embodiment also transmits signals of different intensities by controlling the signal transmitting device, and further divides the area into multiple levels from far to near, such as near field and far field. Combining the strength and coding sequence, it can A finer division of the area can more effectively improve the pile-finding and pile-returning efficiency of the automatic cleaning equipment.

On this basis, the charging pile of this embodiment is equipped with a signal transmitting device on the midline M, which can more effectively guide the automatic cleaning equipment to align with the midline M more accurately and quickly, and more effectively improve the efficiency of pile-finding and pile-returning .

Embodiment two

Corresponding to the charging pile shown in the first embodiment, the embodiment of the present invention also provides an automatic cleaning device matched with the charging pile in the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 , a schematic structural view of an automatic cleaning device 2 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention is shown.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, a schematic structural view of an automatic cleaning device 2 in this embodiment is exemplarily shown. Wherein, the automatic cleaning device 2 may be a sweeping robot, a mopping robot or the like. The automatic cleaning device 2 may include a processor 201, a perception system, and a drive system; in addition, the automatic cleaning device 2 also includes a device main body, a cleaning system, an energy system, and a human-computer interaction system.

Wherein, the device body includes a forward part and a rearward part, and has an approximately circular shape (both front and rear are circular), and may also have other shapes, including but not limited to an approximately D-shaped shape with a front and rear circle.

The perception system includes three large-angle light receivers 203 and an alignment light receiver 202; preferably, the perception system can also include a buffer (not shown in the figure) located at the forward part of the device body, a cliff sensor (in the figure) not shown) and other sensors such as infrared sensors (not shown), magnetometers (not shown), accelerometers (not shown), gyroscopes (not shown), The odometer (not shown in the figure), etc., provides the corresponding information of the automatic cleaning device 2 to the processor 201 .

The forward part of the main body of the device can carry a buffer. During the cleaning process, the driving wheel module of the driving system propels the automatic cleaning device 2 to walk on the ground. The buffer detects the driving path of the automatic cleaning device 2 through a sensor system, such as an infrared sensor. One or more events (or objects) in, the robot can pass through the events (or objects) detected by the buffer, such as obstacles, walls, and control the driving wheel module so that the automatic cleaning device 2 can handle the events (or objects) object) to respond, such as moving away from obstacles.

The processor 201 is arranged on the circuit board in the main body of the device, and includes a computing processor, such as a central processing unit, and an application processor, that communicates with non-transitory storage, such as a hard disk, flash memory, and random access memory. On the one hand, combined with the analysis of the processing of the optical signals received by the three large-angle optical receivers 203 and/or the alignment optical receiver 202, it is possible to determine the radiation-encoded area where the automatic cleaning device 2 is currently located; on the other hand, it can be combined with buffering Sensors, cliff sensors and other sensors such as infrared sensors, magnetometers, accelerometers, gyroscopes, odometers and other sensing devices feedback distance information, speed information to comprehensively judge the current working state of the automatic cleaning equipment 2, such as crossing the threshold, On the carpet, located on a cliff, stuck above or below, full of dust boxes, picked up, etc., will also give specific next-step action strategies for different situations, making the work of the automatic cleaning device 2 more in line with the requirements of the owner , with a better user experience.

The drive system may steer the autonomous cleaning apparatus 2 across the ground based on drive commands having distance and angular information, eg x, y and angular components. The driving system includes a driving wheel module, which can control the left wheel and the right wheel at the same time. In order to control the movement of the machine more accurately, preferably, the driving wheel module includes a left driving wheel module and a right driving wheel module. Left and right drive wheel modules are opposed along a transverse axis defined by the apparatus body. In order for the automatic cleaning device 2 to move more stably on the ground or to have a stronger movement capability, the automatic cleaning device 2 may include one or more driven wheels, and the driven wheels include but are not limited to universal wheels. The driving wheel module includes road wheels, a driving motor and a control circuit for controlling the driving motor. The driving wheel module can also be connected with a circuit for measuring driving current and an odometer. The driving wheel module can be detachably connected to the main body of the equipment, which is convenient for disassembly and maintenance. The drive wheel may have a biased drop suspension movably secured, eg rotatably attached, to the device body and receive a spring bias biased downward and away from the device body. The spring bias allows the drive wheel to maintain contact and traction with the ground with a certain ground force, and meanwhile the cleaning element of the automatic cleaning device 2 also contacts the ground with a certain pressure.

The cleaning system can be a dry cleaning system and/or a wet cleaning system. As a dry cleaning system, the main cleaning function comes from the cleaning system composed of the roller brush structure, the dust box structure, the fan structure, the air outlet and the connecting parts between the four. The roller brush structure with a certain interference with the ground sweeps up the garbage on the ground and rolls it to the front of the dust suction port between the roller brush structure and the dust box structure, and then the suction gas is generated by the fan structure and passes through the dust box structure Suction dust box structure. Dry cleaning systems may also include side brushes having a rotational axis that is angled relative to the floor for moving debris into the area of the roller brush of the cleaning system.

The energy system carried by the automatic cleaning device 2 itself includes a rechargeable battery on the main body of the device. Wherein, the rechargeable battery may include nickel metal hydride battery, lithium battery and the like. The rechargeable battery can be connected with a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit and a battery undervoltage monitoring circuit, and the charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit, and a battery undervoltage monitoring circuit are connected with the single-chip microcomputer control circuit. The automatic cleaning device 2 is charged by being connected to the charging pile 1 through the charging electrodes arranged on the side or below of the device body.

The human-computer interaction system includes buttons on the main panel of the equipment for users to select functions; it can also include display screens and/or indicator lights and/or speakers, which show users the current state of the machine or Functional options; may also include mobile phone client programs.

The automatic cleaning device 2 provides energy for the automatic cleaning device 2 through the energy system, interacts with the user through the human-computer interaction system, and receives the user's operation instructions, and the processor 201 obtains the information required in the cleaning process according to the user's operation instructions and the perception system process, and drive the automatic cleaning equipment 2 to move through the drive system, so as to use its cleaning system to perform corresponding cleaning operations.

Please refer to FIG. 9 , in a preferred implementation manner, the sensing system may include an alignment light receiver 202 and three large-angle light receivers 203 arranged around the alignment light receiver 202,

The number of alignment optical receivers 202 is two, and the alignment optical receiver 202 is a small-angle receiver with high alignment accuracy, which can receive optical signals within a small angle range to perform precise pile alignment operations. The alignment light receiver 202 is set in the direction where the automatic cleaning device 2 is directly facing the charging joint position. When the alignment light receiver 202 is aligned with the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, the alignment of the automatic cleaning device 2 at this time Line M2 is aligned with the symmetrical center line M of the signal transmitting device, and the charging interface of the automatic cleaning device 2 can be accurately aligned with the charging connector 113 of the charging pile 1, thereby ensuring the precise docking of the automatic cleaning device 2 and the charging pile 1, and completing Charging engagement.

In specific settings, the three large-angle light receivers 203 can be arranged in the other three directions of the automatic cleaning device 2 where the alignment light receivers 202 are not set. Preferably, the three large-angle light receivers 203 are aligned with The optical receivers 202 (two as a group) are provided every 90 degrees, as shown in FIG. The position is set to align the light receiver 202, set the first large-angle light receiver 203 at the 85-degree position, set the second large-angle light receiver at the 180-degree position, and set the third large-angle light receiver at the 270-degree position device, etc., just keep it basically even. Preferably, the centers of the three large-angle light receivers 203 and the center of the alignment light receiver 202 are located in the same cross section. Preferably, the alignment light receiver is arranged directly in front of the automatic cleaning device 2 , and the three large-angle light receivers 203 are respectively arranged on the left, right and rear sides of the automatic cleaning device 2 .

The wide-angle optical receiver 203 can accept optical signals within a certain angle range. Preferably, the three large-angle light receivers 203 are set so that the receiving range basically covers the circumferential range of the automatic cleaning device 2 . That is to say, no matter which direction the optical signal is irradiated from in the circumferential direction, there will be at least one large-angle optical receiver 203 capable of receiving the optical signal.

The processor 201 in the embodiment of the invention is used to analyze the optical signals received by each large-angle optical receiver 203, obtain the codes of the optical signals, and compare and analyze the codes of the optical signals. The automatic cleaning device 2 also includes a memory, in which there are pre-stored comparison tables of areas and coded sequences of optical signals (for details, refer to Table 1 and Table 2 of Embodiment 1) and the time length of the cycle of the charging pile 1 emitting optical signals, so that When the large-angle optical receiver receives the optical signal, the processor first identifies the code of the optical signal, and analyzes the code sequence of the received optical signal within one cycle according to the time sequence of the received optical signal, and then the processor Compare the coding sequence of the received light signal with the comparison table prestored in the memory, and find out the corresponding area from the comparison table according to the coding sequence, then the exact area where the automatic cleaning device 2 is currently located can be obtained.

In addition, the large-angle light receiver 203 can also identify the direction of the light source in addition to receiving light signals. As shown in Figure 10, the large-angle light receiver 203 detects the direction of the light source, and sends the direction signal to the processor, and the processor compares and analyzes the direction signal, and recognizes the direction of the light source and the alignment of the automatic cleaning device 2 The angle θ1 between the lines M2. In this way, according to the two parameters of the area and the included angle θ1, the processor can adjust its own position and movement direction, and then accurately align with the symmetrical center line M of the signal transmitting device.

10 and 11 , and taking the embodiment in which the charging pile 1 adopts two signal transmitting devices as an example, the pile-finding and pile-returning process of the automatic cleaning device 2 will be described in detail.

The three large-angle light receivers 203 of the automatic cleaning device 2 detect light signals in real time, and the processor analyzes the detected light signals. As shown in Fig. 10, at this time, the large-angle optical receiver 203 on the left side receives the optical signal and sends it to the processor. The encoding sequence of the optical signal is B1, and then the processor accesses the look-up table, and obtains that the area corresponding to the signal whose encoding sequence is B1 is the second far-field area Y2. In this way, the processor obtains the accurate area where the automatic cleaning device 2 is currently located.

At the same time, the large-angle light receiver 203 on the left also detects the direction of the light source. Specifically, according to the direction of the light source detected by the left large-angle light receiver 203, the processor determines the alignment line between the light emitted by the second signal transmitting device 102 toward the left large-angle light receiver 203 and the automatic cleaning device 2 The included angle θ1 of M2. The processor combines the current area and the included angle θ1 to obtain the current direction of the alignment line M2 of the automatic cleaning device 2 .

After obtaining the area and direction information, the processor can further control the walking system to adjust the direction of movement, so that the automatic cleaning device 2 moves toward the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device. During the movement, according to the three major The area and direction information detected by the angle light receiver 203 corrects the moving direction in real time, and constantly adjusts its own moving direction and its own angle. When the automatic cleaning device 2 moves to the vicinity of the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, adjust the position of the automatic cleaning device 2 so that the alignment light receiver 202 is facing the charging pile 1, and the alignment light receiver 202 is aligned with the first The precise alignment of the signal emitting device 101 and the second signal emitting device 102 makes the alignment line M2 of the automatic cleaning device 2 coincide with the symmetrical centerline M of the signal emitting device, as shown in FIG. 11 . In the state where the alignment line M2 of the automatic cleaning device 2 coincides with the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, the processor controls the walking system so that the automatic cleaning device 2 continues to move toward the charging pile 1, and finally, the charging of the automatic cleaning device 2 The interface is connected with the charging connector of the charging pile 1 to complete the pile-seeking and pile-returning actions.

Optionally, when more than two large-angle optical receivers 203 receive optical signals, the processor analyzes and compares the coding sequence and the included angle θ1 of the optical signals of each large-angle optical receiver, respectively, and determines whether each The area where the large-angle light receiver 203 is located and the direction where the alignment line M2 of the automatic cleaning device 2 is located can obtain more accurate information about the area and direction where it is located.

When cooperating with the charging pile 1 with four or more even-numbered signal transmitting devices, the principle of the pile finding and returning pile of the automatic cleaning equipment 2 is basically the same as that of the charging pile 1 with two signal transmitting devices, here The description will not be repeated.

When cooperating with a charging pile 1 with an odd number of signal transmitting devices and a signal transmitting device on the symmetrical center line M of the signal transmitting device, the automatic cleaning device 2 makes the alignment light receive Compared with the scheme of aligning the optical receiver 202 with the signal transmitting devices on both sides of the spacer 108, the alignment device 202 can be aligned with the signal transmitting device in the middle, and the alignment can be realized more accurately and quickly, and the efficiency of pile-seeking and pile-returning can be improved. efficiency.

In another embodiment, the sensing system of the automatic cleaning device 2 may also use a combination of an all-angle light receiver 204 and an alignment light receiver 202 . As shown in FIG. 12, compared with the scheme of multiple large-angle optical receivers 203, the advantage of using the full-angle optical receiver 204 is that one full-angle optical receiver can complete the receiving and processing of all optical signals in the circumferential range. The determination of the direction of the light source does not require multiple large-angle light receivers 203 , which can simplify the appearance and circuit design of the automatic cleaning device 2 and reduce the production cost of the automatic cleaning device 2 . The principle of finding and returning posts using the full-angle optical receiver 204 is basically the same as the principle of finding and returning posts using the large-angle optical receiver 203 , and will not be repeated here.

In the automatic cleaning device 2 of this embodiment, the area and coding sequence comparison table and the signal cycle of the charging pile 1 are pre-stored in the memory, and the processor 201 obtains the coding sequence of the optical signal through the large-angle optical receiver 203 or the full-angle optical receiver 204, And obtain the direction of the light source, and then judge its relative position with respect to the charging pile 1 and its own direction, then adjust the movement direction and its own angle, and align the optical receiver 202 with the symmetrical center line M of the signal transmitting device, so that Its own alignment line M2 and the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, thereby ensuring the accurate connection between the automatic cleaning equipment 2 and the charging pile 1, reducing the blind area between the charging pile and the automatic cleaning equipment, and improving the pile-finding of the automatic cleaning equipment efficiency.

Embodiment three

This embodiment provides a charging pile finding method based on the automatic cleaning device shown in Embodiment 2.

As shown in Figure 13, the charging pile finding method of this embodiment includes the following steps:

Step S41: Analyze the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile, and obtain the coded sequence of the optical signal corresponding to the optical signal sequence;

Step S42: comparing the acquired coding sequence with the stored region and the coding sequence comparison table, to determine the current region where the device is located;

The equipment here is to make automatic cleaning equipment. The charging pile finding method of this embodiment, by obtaining the coding sequence of the optical signal, compares the obtained coding sequence with the pre-stored area and the coding sequence comparison table to determine the area; the self-cleaning device only needs to store the area and the code The sequence comparison table does not need to have the ability to create a coordinate map, and can efficiently and accurately realize the pile finding and returning of the automatic cleaning equipment at a lower cost.

Optionally, the charging pile finding method of this embodiment further includes the following steps:

Step S43: Analyzing the received light signal sequence from the charging pile to obtain light source direction information;

Step S44: Adjust the moving direction of the device according to the location information and the direction information of the light source.

Wherein step S43 may be performed prior to steps S41 and S42, or performed synchronously with steps S41 and S42, or performed after steps S41 and S42.

The charging pile finding method of this embodiment, by obtaining the coding sequence of the optical signal, compares the obtained coding sequence with the pre-stored area and the coding sequence comparison table to determine the area; then compares the area information with the obtained light source direction information Combined, infer the required direction of movement, and then adjust the direction of movement of the device according to the required direction of movement, and then realize the pile-seeking and pile-returning actions of the device. The steps are simple and do not require automatic cleaning. Efficiently and accurately realize pile-finding and pile-returning of automatic cleaning equipment at a lower cost.

Optionally, in step S41, obtaining the coding sequence of the optical signal includes: analyzing the coding sequence of the optical signal according to a pre-stored time period, and obtaining the coding sequence of the optical signal for each period.

Since the optical signal of the charging pile is emitted according to a predetermined cycle, when the automatic cleaning device analyzes the optical signal, it only needs to analyze and compare the coding sequence of the optical signal within one cycle, and there is no need to analyze all received signals. The analysis of the optical signal coding sequence can reduce the amount of calculation and improve the analysis efficiency.

Optionally, when the signal emitting device of the charging pile emits light signals with different intensities, determining the area in step S42 further includes determining the distance between the automatic cleaning device and the charging pile. Specifically, through the analysis of the coding sequence, it can be judged whether the automatic cleaning device is in the near-field area or the far-field area, and then the approximate distance between the automatic cleaning device and the charging pile can be judged, so that the automatic cleaning device can be accurately moved. Adjust the controls.

Optionally, in step S44, adjusting the moving direction according to the area information and the light source direction information specifically means that the automatic cleaning device estimates the position of the symmetrical midline M of the signal emitting device according to the area information and the light source direction information, and adjusts its own position so that it automatically The alignment line M2 of the cleaning equipment coincides with the estimated position of the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, and then the automatic cleaning equipment is controlled to move along the symmetrical midline M of the signal transmitting device, so that the charging interface of the automatic cleaning equipment is aligned with the charging connector of the charging pile. join together.

The above method is applicable to the solution of using the full-angle optical receiver in the second embodiment, and the case where a certain large-angle optical receiver receives an optical signal among multiple large-angle optical receivers.

For automatic cleaning equipment that uses multiple large-angle optical receivers, if more than two large-angle optical receivers receive optical signals, the optical signals received by each large-angle optical receiver are respectively restricted. In step S41 and step S42, respectively analyze the area information where each large-angle optical receiver is located (the area information where different large-angle optical receivers are located may be the same or may be different), and then combine the information of each large-angle optical receiver The area information where it is located, combined with the corresponding light source direction information determined in step S43, can more accurately judge the current position and direction of the automatic cleaning device, and then adjust its position so that the alignment line M2 of the automatic cleaning device is in line with The estimated positions of the symmetrical center line M of the signal emitting device are coincident, and then the automatic cleaning device is controlled to move along the symmetrical center line M of the signal emitting device, so that the charging interface of the automatic cleaning device is engaged with the charging connector of the charging pile.

In the embodiment of the present invention, since the automatic cleaning device can choose the direction arbitrarily when changing the direction, even if it cannot travel to the charging pile along the current traveling direction at one time, it can still travel to the charging pile after multiple direction adjustments.

Embodiment Four

Embodiment 4 provides a charging control system for charging piles, including the charging pile of Embodiment 1 and the automatic cleaning device of Embodiment 2.

In this embodiment, the automatic cleaning device cooperates with the charging pile, and the automatic cleaning device stores the time length of the signal transmission cycle of the charging pile, and a comparison table of regions and coding sequences. The charging pile emits light signals according to the scheme described in the first embodiment, and the automatic cleaning equipment performs pile-finding and pile-returning operations according to the schemes described in the second and third embodiments.

Through this embodiment, in the charging pile charging control system of this embodiment, the automatic cleaning device does not need to have the function of creating a pile-finding and returning pile map, but only needs to obtain the corresponding code after receiving the optical signal, and then know the current location. The radiation area of the optical signal determines whether it is necessary to change the route until it finally reaches the charging pile, which reduces the blind area between the charging pile and the automatic cleaning equipment, and improves the pile-finding efficiency of the automatic cleaning equipment.

It should be pointed out that, according to implementation requirements, each component/step described in the embodiment of the present invention can be divided into more components/steps, and two or more components/steps or partial operations of components/steps can also be combined into New components/steps to achieve the purpose of the embodiments of the present invention.

Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and method steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be regarded as exceeding the scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, rather than to limit the embodiments of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant technical fields can also make various Changes and modifications, so all equivalent technical solutions also belong to the category of the embodiments of the present invention, and the patent protection area of the embodiments of the present invention should be defined by the claims.

Claims (22)

1. A charging pile is characterized by comprising a controller and at least two signal transmitting devices;

the controller controls the at least two signal transmitting devices to transmit optical signals according to a set optical signal transmitting sequence and codes the transmitted optical signals;

the optical signals emitted by each signal emitting device are coded to form a corresponding radiation coding region, and the radiation coding regions formed by the optical signals emitted by the adjacent signal emitting devices are partially overlapped in a radiation range.

2. The charging pole of claim 1, wherein said at least two signal emitting devices comprise a first signal emitting device and a second signal emitting device, and further comprising a spacer disposed on a centerline between said first signal emitting device and said second signal emitting device such that said first signal emitting device and said second signal emitting device are symmetrical about said centerline.

3. The charging pole according to claim 2, wherein the first signal emitting device and the second signal emitting device respectively comprise at least two signal emitters, the first signal emitting device comprises a first signal emitter and a second signal emitter, the second signal emitting device comprises a third signal emitter and a fourth signal emitter, the first signal emitter and the fourth signal emitter are symmetrical about the center line, and the second signal emitter and the third signal emitter are symmetrical about the center line.

4. The charging pile according to claim 2, wherein the optical signal emitted by the first signal emitting device is encoded to form a first radiation encoding region, and the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device is encoded to form a second radiation encoding region;

the spacing device partially shields the optical signal emitted by the first signal emitting device and the optical signal emitted by the second signal emitting device, so that the first radiation coding region and the second radiation coding region partially overlap in a radiation range.

5. A charging pile according to claim 3, characterised in that the second and third signal emitters immediately adjacent the sides of the spacer are disposed vertically forwardly and the first and fourth signal emitters remote from the spacer are disposed at a set angle (θ) to the adjacent signal emitters respectively.

6. A charging pile according to claim 5, characterised in that the set angle (θ) is 45 degrees.

7. The charging pole according to claim 1, wherein the at least two signal emitting devices comprise an odd number of signal emitting devices, and the odd number of signal emitting devices are symmetrically arranged with a center line of one of the signal emitting devices as a symmetry line.

8. The charging pole according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein said light signal emitting sequence instructs said at least two signal emitting means to emit light signals alternately or sequentially, said light signals being encoded differently.

9. The charging pole of claim 8, wherein the light signal emitting sequence instructs each of the at least two signal emitting devices to emit light signals of at least two intensities during a period, and each signal emitting device emits light signals of only one intensity during a time interval during a period.

10. The charging pole of claim 8, wherein the light signal emitting sequence instructs each of the at least two signal emitting devices to emit light signals of the same intensity during a period, and each signal emitting device emits light signals of only one intensity during a time interval during a period.

11. The charging pile according to claims 1-7, characterized in that said at least two signal emitting devices emit light signals synchronously within the same time interval of a cycle, said synchronously emitted light signals having the same intensity and the same code, thus forming a near field radiation encoding region.

12. The charging pile according to any one of claims 3-6, characterised in that the spacing means is a light screen on which a baffle is arranged.

13. A method for pile finding of a charging pile, which is the charging pile according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the method comprising:

analyzing the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile to obtain an optical signal coding sequence corresponding to the optical signal sequence;

and determining the current area of the equipment according to the optical signal coding sequence and the stored area and coding sequence comparison table.

14. The method of claim 13, characterized in that the method further comprises: analyzing the received optical signal sequence from the charging pile to acquire light source direction information; and adjusting the movement direction of the equipment according to the area and the light source direction information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein analyzing the sequence of the received optical signals from the charging post to obtain the coded sequence of the optical signals comprises: and analyzing the coded sequence of the optical signal according to a pre-stored time period to obtain the coded sequence of the optical signal of each period.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjusting the direction of motion of the device based on the region information and the light source direction information comprises:

estimating the position of a symmetrical center line (M) of the signal transmitting device according to the area information and the light source direction information;

adjusting the position of the device such that the alignment line (M2) of the device coincides with the position of the symmetry middle line (M);

moving the device along the symmetry center line (M) such that the charging interface of the device engages the charging connection of the charging post.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein prior to said parsing the sequence of received optical signals from the charging post, the method further comprises: receiving a sequence of optical signals from the charging post via a plurality of optical receivers, wherein,

the plurality of optical receivers comprises at least two large angle optical receivers and an alignment optical receiver for aligning with the charging post; or,

the plurality of light receivers includes a full angle light receiver and an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging post.

18. An automated cleaning apparatus, characterized in that the automated cleaning apparatus comprises at least two large angle light receivers and a processor;

the at least two large-angle light receivers are arranged on a shell of the automatic cleaning equipment according to a set angle and used for receiving light signals from the charging pile;

the processor is configured to perform operations corresponding to the charging pile finding method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

19. The robotic cleaning device of claim 18, further comprising an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging post;

the three large-angle light receivers and the aligning light receiver are uniformly arranged on the peripheral wall of the shell of the automatic cleaning device.

20. An automatic cleaning apparatus, characterized in that the automatic cleaning apparatus comprises: a full-angle optical receiver and a processor;

the full-angle receiver is arranged on a shell of the automatic cleaning equipment according to a set angle and used for receiving an optical signal from the charging pile;

the processor is configured to perform operations corresponding to the charging pile finding method according to any one of claims 13 to 17.

21. The automated cleaning apparatus of claim 20, further comprising an alignment light receiver for aligning with the charging post;

the full-angle receiver and the alignment light receiver are uniformly arranged on the peripheral wall of the shell of the automatic cleaning device.

22. A charge control system characterized by: comprising a charging pile according to any one of claims 1 to 12 and an automatic cleaning device according to any one of claims 18 to 21.