U.S. patent application number 16/442428 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-05 for returning method of self-moving device, self-moving device, storage medium, and server.
The applicant listed for this patent is Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. Invention is credited to Fangshi LIU, Yong SHAO, Yiyun TAN, Ka Tat Kelvin WONG, Chang ZHOU.
Application Number | 20190369620 16/442428 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 62557994 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-05 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20190369620 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZHOU; Chang ; et
al. |
December 5, 2019 |
RETURNING METHOD OF SELF-MOVING DEVICE, SELF-MOVING DEVICE, STORAGE
MEDIUM, AND SERVER
Abstract
A returning method of a self-moving device, a self-moving device
are provided. In the returning method, a self-moving device
autonomously moves inside a working region based on a map.
Specifically, the method includes: acquiring a current position of
the self-moving device in the working region; selecting a return
path to a target position according to the current position;
determining a reuse status of the return path, determining, based
on the reuse status of the return path, whether to reselect a
return path; and enabling the self-moving device to return to the
target position along the selected return path.
Inventors: |
ZHOU; Chang; (Jiangsu,
CN) ; TAN; Yiyun; (Jiangsu, CN) ; SHAO;
Yong; (Jiangsu, CN) ; LIU; Fangshi; (Jiangsu,
CN) ; WONG; Ka Tat Kelvin; (Jiangsu, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Positec Power Tools (Suzhou) Co., Ltd |
Jiangsu |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
62557994 |
Appl. No.: |
16/442428 |
Filed: |
June 14, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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PCT/CN2017/116684 |
Dec 15, 2017 |
|
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16442428 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D 1/0212 20130101;
A01D 34/008 20130101; G05D 1/0278 20130101; G01S 19/071 20190801;
G05D 1/0088 20130101; G01C 25/00 20130101; G05D 1/0274 20130101;
G06N 20/00 20190101; G05D 2201/0208 20130101; G05D 1/0217 20130101;
G01C 21/005 20130101; G05D 1/0225 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G05D 1/00 20060101
G05D001/00; G06N 20/00 20060101 G06N020/00; G05D 1/02 20060101
G05D001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 15, 2016 |
CN |
201611157425.9 |
Jan 18, 2017 |
CN |
201710034583.3 |
Claims
1. A returning method of a self-moving device, a self-moving device
autonomously moving inside a working region based on a map, and
comprising: acquiring a current position of the self-moving device
in the working region; selecting a return path to a target position
according to the current position; and determining a reuse status
of the return path, and determining, based on the reuse status of
the return path, whether to reselect a return path; and enabling
the self-moving device to return to the target position along the
selected return path.
2. The returning method according to claim 1, wherein the
determining a reuse status of the return path comprises:
determining a reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return
path, and if the reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return
path exceeds a preset threshold, determining to reselect a return
path.
3. The returning method according to claim 2, wherein the currently
selected return path is taken as a first return path, and when the
reuse length and/or reuse frequency is greater than a preset first
threshold, a second return path that does not coincide with the
first return path is selected as the return path.
4. The returning method according to claim 2, wherein the currently
selected return path is taken as a first return path, and when the
reuse length and/or reuse frequency is greater than a preset second
threshold, a second return path that does not intersect with the
first return path is selected as the return path.
5. The returning method according to claim 2, wherein the
determining a reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return
path comprises: storing use information of at least a part of the
return path, and determining the reuse length and/or reuse
frequency of the return path according to the information.
6. The returning method according to claim 1, wherein the selecting
a return path to a target position according to the current
position comprises: computing an optimal path between the current
position and the target position, and using the optimal path as the
return path.
7. The returning method according to claim 6, wherein the computing
an optimal path between the current position and the target
position comprises: computing a shortest path between the current
position and the target position.
8. The returning method according to claim 1, further comprising:
presetting several preset return paths; and the selecting a return
path to a target position according to the current position
comprises: selecting one of the several preset return paths as the
return path.
9. The returning method according to claim 8, after the acquiring a
current position of the self-moving device in the working region,
further comprising: computing an optimal path between the current
position and the preset return path; and the enabling the
self-moving device to return to the target position along the
selected return path comprises: enabling the self-moving device to
move to the preset return path along the optimal path.
10. The returning method according to claim 1, further comprising:
presetting a virtual boundary line of the working region; and the
selecting a return path to a target position according to the
current position comprises: selecting a path along the virtual
boundary line or near the virtual boundary line as the return
path.
11. The returning method according to claim 1, after the enabling
the self-moving device to return to the target position along the
selected return path, further comprising: enabling the self-moving
device to be docked to a charging pile for charging.
12. The returning method according to claim 11, wherein the
enabling the self-moving device to be docked to a charging pile for
charging comprises: enabling the self-moving device to adjust an
attitude at the target position to dock a charging part of the
self-moving device to the charging pile for charging.
13. The returning method according to claim 11, wherein the
enabling the self-moving device to be docked to a charging pile for
charging comprises: enabling the self-moving device to reverse from
the charging pile by a preset distance at the target position and
completing adjustment of an attitude within the preset distance,
and enabling the self-moving device to move to the charging pile
with the attitude to be docked to the charging pile for
charging.
14. The returning method according to claim 12, wherein before the
self-moving device starts to work, the self-moving device is
enabled to record the target position and the attitude.
15. A self-moving device, comprising an acquisition module and a
control module, wherein the acquisition module is configured to
acquire a current position of the self-moving device in a working
region; and the control module is configured to: select a return
path to a target position according to the current position;
determine a reuse status of the return path, and determine whether
to reselect a return path based on the reuse status of the return
path; and control the self-moving device to return to the target
position along the selected return path.
16. The self-moving device according to claim 15, wherein the
control module comprises a first calculation unit and a control
unit, the first calculation unit is configured to calculate a reuse
length and/or reuse frequency of a first return path, and if the
reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return path exceeds a
preset threshold, the control unit determines to reselect a return
path.
17. The self-moving device according to claim 16, wherein the
control unit takes the currently selected return path as a first
return path, and when the reuse length and/or reuse frequency is
greater than a preset first threshold, the control unit selects a
second return path that does not coincide with the first return
path as the return path.
18. The self-moving device according to claim 17, wherein the
control module further comprises a first storage unit, wherein the
first storage unit is configured to store use information of at
least a part of the return path, and the first calculation unit is
further configured to determine the reuse length and/or reuse
frequency of the return path according to the information.
19. The self-moving device according to claim 15, wherein the
control module further comprises a first computation unit and a
control unit, wherein the first computation unit is configured to
compute an optimal path between the current position and the target
position, and the control unit controls to select the optimal path
as the return path.
20. The self-moving device according to claim 16, wherein the
control module further comprises a first preset unit and a control
unit, wherein the first preset unit is configured to preset several
return paths, and the control unit is configured to select one of
the several preset return paths as the return path.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of PCT International
Application No. PCT/CN2017/116684 filed on Dec. 15, 2017, which
claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Nos. 201611157425.9,
filed on Dec. 15, 2016, and 201710034583.3, filed on Jan. 18, 2017,
all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety
herein.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of robot
technologies, and specifically, to a returning method of a
self-moving device, a self-moving device, a memory, and a
server.
Related Art
[0003] With rapid development of big data, cloud computing, and
artificial intelligence, autonomous robots gradually enter and play
an increasingly important role in various fields of people's
life.
[0004] As a robot, an autonomous lawn mower can implement automatic
grass cutting and bring great convenience to people's life. For a
conventional autonomous lawn mower system, to prevent the
autonomous lawn mower from moving beyond a boundary of a working
region, a boundary line may be set around the working region and
electrified, so that the autonomous lawn mower may determine the
boundary. When needing to return to a charging station to be
recharged, the autonomous lawn mower first locates the boundary
line. After finding the boundary line, the autonomous lawn mower
moves along the boundary line to return to the charging station.
The robot is controlled to move over the boundary line, so that the
machine can be approximately aligned with the charging station to
implement precise docking.
[0005] An automatic working system such as an autonomous lawn mower
system can automatically complete a lawn maintenance task or the
like, and becomes increasingly popular among users. In the
automatic working system, a self-moving device such as an
autonomous lawn mower is restricted to a working region. In the
prior art, a mobile station generates a map of a working region.
Next, the mobile station navigates the self-moving device according
to the working region defined by the map.
[0006] In this manner, after a base station moves, position
coordinates output by the mobile station have an offset, and the
map of the working region needs to be regenerated, resulting in
relatively complex steps.
[0007] With development of electronic information technologies,
electronic pet collars are applied increasingly widely.
Particularly, virtual electronic pet collars for which boundary
leads do not need to be arranged are highly popular among people.
However, during positioning of a conventional virtual electronic
pet collar, precision of satellite positioning can reach only
approximately 10 meters under the influence of factors such as an
atmospheric error, a satellite clock error, a satellite ephemeris
error, and a multipath effect caused by blockage by an obstacle
such as a tall building. Therefore, the conventional virtual
electronic pet collar has technical problems of easy susceptibility
to interference and low positioning precision. As a result, a pet
may get lost, and it is difficult to keep the pet safe.
SUMMARY
[0008] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention
provide a returning method of a self-moving device, a self-moving
device, a storage medium, and a server. For the self-moving device,
the self-moving device inside a working region may reliably return
to a target position.
[0009] An aspect of the present invention provides a returning
method of a self-moving device, a self-moving device autonomously
moving inside a working region based on a map, and the returning
method includes: acquiring a current position of the self-moving
device in the working region; selecting a return path to a target
position according to the current position; determining a reuse
status of the return path, determining, based on the reuse status
of the return path, whether to reselect a return path; and enabling
the self-moving device to return to the target position along the
selected return path.
[0010] In an embodiment, the determining a reuse status of the
return path includes: determining a reuse length and/or reuse
frequency of the return path, and if the reuse length and/or reuse
frequency of the return path exceeds a preset threshold,
determining to reselect a return path.
[0011] In an embodiment, the currently selected return path is
taken as a first return path, and when the reuse length and/or
reuse frequency is greater than a preset first threshold, a second
return path that does not coincide with the first return path is
selected as the return path.
[0012] In an embodiment, the currently selected return path is
taken as a first return path, and when the reuse length and/or
reuse frequency is greater than a preset second threshold, a second
return path that does not intersect with the first return path is
selected as the return path.
[0013] In an embodiment, the determining a reuse length and/or
reuse frequency of the return path includes: storing use
information of at least a part of the return path, and determining
the reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return path
according to the information.
[0014] In an embodiment, the selecting a return path to a target
position according to the current position includes: computing an
optimal path between the current position and the target position,
and using the optimal path as the return path.
[0015] In an embodiment, the computing an optimal path between the
current position and the target position includes: computing a
shortest path between the current position and the target
position.
[0016] In an embodiment, the returning method further includes:
presetting several preset return paths; and the selecting a return
path to a target position according to the current position
includes: selecting one of the several preset return paths as the
return path.
[0017] In an embodiment, after the acquiring a current position of
the self-moving device in the working region, the method further
includes: computing an optimal path between the current position
and the preset return path; and the enabling the self-moving device
to return to the target position along the selected return path
includes: enabling the self-moving device to move to the preset
return path along the optimal path.
[0018] In an embodiment, the preset return paths include a
plurality of closed patterns inside the working region and a
straight line connecting the plurality of closed patterns and the
target position; and the enabling the self-moving device to return
to the target position along the selected return path includes:
enabling the self-moving device to move in a current movement
direction or any direction, and when the self-moving device comes
into contact with one of the plurality of closed patterns, enabling
the self-moving device to move to the straight line along a border
of the one of the plurality of closed patterns and return to the
target position along the straight line.
[0019] In an embodiment, the plurality of closed patterns is a
plurality of closed rings.
[0020] In an embodiment, the returning method further includes:
presetting a virtual boundary line of the working region; and the
selecting a return path to a target position according to the
current position includes: selecting a path along the virtual
boundary line or near the virtual boundary line as the return
path.
[0021] In an embodiment, after the enabling the self-moving device
to return to the target position along the selected return path,
the method further includes: enabling the self-moving device to be
docked to a charging pile for charging.
[0022] In an embodiment, the enabling the self-moving device to be
docked to a charging pile for charging includes:
[0023] enabling the self-moving device to adjust an attitude at the
target position to dock a charging part of the self-moving device
to the charging pile for charging.
[0024] In an embodiment, the enabling the self-moving device to be
docked to a charging pile for charging includes: enabling the
self-moving device to reverse from the charging pile by a preset
distance at the target position and completing adjustment of an
attitude within the preset distance, and enabling the self-moving
device to move to the charging pile with the attitude to be docked
to the charging pile for charging.
[0025] In an embodiment, before the self-moving device starts to
work, the self-moving device is enabled to record the target
position and the attitude.
[0026] Another aspect of the present invention provides a
self-moving device, including an acquisition module and a control
module, where the acquisition module is configured to acquire a
current position of the self-moving device in a working region; and
the control module is configured to: select a return path to a
target position according to the current position; determine a
reuse status of the return path, determine, based on the reuse
status of the return path, whether to reselect a return path; and
control the self-moving device to return to the target position
along the selected return path.
[0027] In an embodiment, the control module includes a first
calculation unit and a control unit, where the first calculation
unit is configured to calculate a reuse length and/or reuse
frequency of a first return path, and if the reuse length and/or
reuse frequency of the return path exceeds a preset threshold, the
control unit determines to reselect a return path.
[0028] In an embodiment, the control unit takes the currently
selected return path as a first return path, and when the reuse
length and/or reuse frequency is greater than a preset first
threshold, the control unit selects a second return path that does
not coincide with the first return path as the return path.
[0029] In an embodiment, the control module further includes a
first storage unit, where the first storage unit is configured to
store use information of at least a part of the return path, and
the first calculation unit is further configured to determine the
reuse length and/or reuse frequency of the return path according to
the information.
[0030] In an embodiment, the control module further includes a
first computation unit and a control unit, where the first
computation unit is configured to compute an optimal path between
the current position and the target position, and the control unit
controls to select the optimal path as the return path.
[0031] In an embodiment, the control module further includes a
first preset unit and a control unit, where the first preset unit
is configured to preset several preset return paths, and the
control unit is configured to select one of the several preset
return paths as the return path.
[0032] In an embodiment, the control module further includes a
second computation unit, where the second computation unit is
configured to compute an optimal path between the current position
and the return path, so that the control unit controls the
self-moving device to move to the return path along the optimal
path.
[0033] In an embodiment, the first preset unit is further
configured to preset a virtual boundary line of the working region,
and the control unit controls the self-moving device to return to
the target position along a path along the virtual boundary line or
near the virtual boundary line.
[0034] In an embodiment, the control module further includes an
attitude determining unit and an adjustment unit, where the
attitude determining unit is configured to: when the self-moving
device moves to the target position, determine an attitude of the
self-moving device, and the attitude adjustment unit is configured
to adjust the attitude of the self-moving device to enable the
self-moving device to be docked to a charging pile for
charging.
[0035] In an embodiment, the control module further includes a
second preset unit and a comparison unit, where the second preset
unit is configured to set a standard distance/relative position
with respect to the charging pile and a charging attitude of the
self-moving device, and the comparison unit is configured to:
compare a current attitude of the self-moving device with the
charging attitude, and adjust the attitude of the self-moving
device to the charging attitude.
[0036] Still another aspect of the present invention provides a
storage medium, storing a computer readable instruction, where when
being invoked, the computer readable instruction performs the
foregoing method.
[0037] Yet another aspect of the present invention provides a
server, including a memory and a processor, where the memory stores
a computer readable instruction, and the processor is configured to
invoke the computer readable instruction to perform the foregoing
method.
[0038] For the returning method of a self-moving device, the
self-moving device, the memory, and the server provided in the
embodiments of the present invention, a return path of the
self-moving device is selected to enable the self-moving device to
reliably return to a target position.
[0039] The embodiments of the present invention further provide an
automatic working system, including: a self-moving device, moving
and working within a working region defined on a map; a navigation
module, configured to: record position coordinates of the working
region, and generate a map of the working region, where the
navigation module includes an offset calibration apparatus
configured to assist in positioning.
[0040] In one embodiment, the offset calibration apparatus includes
a laser beam emitter configured to: emit a laser beam, and form a
light dot on the ground.
[0041] In one embodiment, a preset position is preset, and it is
determined whether the light dot of the laser beam on the ground is
at the preset position to determine whether the position
coordinates recorded by the navigation module is accurate to assist
in positioning.
[0042] In one embodiment, the offset calibration apparatus further
includes an attitude detection module and a laser ranging module
configured to correct an error caused by a tilt of the navigation
module.
[0043] In one embodiment, the attitude detection module obtains a
tilt angle .alpha. and a tilt angle .beta. of the navigation module
in two different directions, and the laser ranging module is
configured to measure a distance L from the light dot of the laser
beam on the ground.
[0044] In one embodiment, the offset calibration apparatus obtains,
according to the tilt angle .alpha. and the tilt angle .beta. that
are obtained by the attitude detection module and the distance L
obtained by the laser ranging module, corresponding offset
correction values .DELTA.X and .DELTA.Y to correct an error caused
by a tilt of the navigation module, and the offset correction
values are computed by using the following formulas: .DELTA.X=L*sin
.alpha., and .DELTA.Y=L*sin .beta..
[0045] The embodiments of the present invention further provide an
automatic working system, including: a self-moving device, moving
and working within a working region defined on a map; and a
navigation module, configured to: record position coordinates of
the working region, and generate a map of the working region, where
the navigation module includes a mobile station and at least two
base stations that can communicate with the mobile station, and the
mobile station may select one of the at least two base stations to
perform communication to transmit a differential message.
[0046] In one embodiment, the at least two base stations
communicate with the mobile station via a same channel to transmit
the differential message.
[0047] In one embodiment, the at least two base stations include
one primary base station and at least one backup base station, when
the primary base station is faultless, the primary base station
communicates with the mobile station via the channel, and when the
primary base station is faulty, the backup base station
communicates with the mobile station via the channel.
[0048] In one embodiment, the at least two base stations
communicate with the mobile station via different channels to
transmit the differential message.
[0049] In one embodiment, the at least two base stations include a
first base station and a second base station, a first channel for
communication with the first base station and a second channel for
communication with the second base station are preset on the mobile
station, when the first channel can receive the differential
message, the mobile station communicates with the first base
station via the first channel and, and when the first channel
cannot receive the differential message, the mobile station
switches to the second channel to communicate with the second base
station.
[0050] The embodiments of the present invention further provide a
differential global positioning system (DGPS), including a base
station and at least one mobile station, where the base station
includes a code module configured to provide a code for the mobile
station, the base station establishes communication with the mobile
station according to the code and transmits differential
calibration data to the mobile station, and the base station can
establish communication with a plurality of mobile stations.
[0051] In one embodiment, the base station includes a base
communications station configured to store and send the
differential calibration data, the base communications station
includes a data service hotspot preset with an access password, and
the mobile station needs to have the access password to access the
base communications station and obtain the differential calibration
data.
[0052] In one embodiment, the differential calibration data is
enciphered according to a rule, and the mobile station needs to
know the rule to obtain the differential calibration data.
[0053] The embodiments of the present invention are to resolve one
of the technical problems in related technologies to at least an
extent.
[0054] In view of this, the embodiments of present invention
provide a position information processing method based on a
differential positioning technology, so that a mobile station does
not need to repeat a process of moving along a boundary of a
working region to generate a map when a position of a base station
changes, so that operation steps are simplified, thereby resolving
a technical problem in the prior art that after the base station
moves, position coordinates output by the mobile station have an
offset, and the map of the working region needs to be regenerated,
resulting in relatively complex steps.
[0055] The embodiments of the present invention provide a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module.
[0056] The embodiments of the present invention provide another
mobile station applicable to a navigation module.
[0057] The embodiments of the present invention provide a computer
readable storage medium.
[0058] The embodiments of the present invention provide a computer
program product.
[0059] To achieve the foregoing objective, according to a first
aspect of the present invention, an embodiment provides a position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology, applicable to a navigation module, where the navigation
module includes a base station, and a mobile station for resolving
a relative position with respect to the base station according to
differential information sent by the base station, and
including:
[0060] before an absolute position of the base station changes,
acquiring, by the mobile station, a first relative position with
respect to the base station;
[0061] before and after the absolute position of the base station
changes, keeping the mobile station at a same absolute
position;
[0062] after the absolute position of the base station changes,
acquiring, by the mobile station, a second relative position with
respect to the base station; and
[0063] updating a map of a working region of the mobile station
according to the first relative position and the second relative
position, or, instructing the base station to update a stored
absolute position of the base station, where points on the map are
used to indicate relative positions with respect to the base
station.
[0064] In the position information processing method based on a
differential positioning technology in this embodiment of the
present invention, before an absolute position of a base station
changes, a mobile station acquires a first relative position with
respect to the base station, Next, before and after the absolute
position of the base station changes, the mobile station is kept at
a same absolute position, and after the absolute position of the
base station changes, the mobile station acquires a second relative
position with respect to the base station, so that the mobile
station may update a map of a working region of the mobile station
according to the first relative position and the second relative
position, or, instruct the base station to update a stored absolute
position of the base station, where points on the map are used to
indicate relative positions with respect to the base station.
Accordingly, a mobile station does not need to repeat a process of
moving along a boundary of the working region to generate a map
when a position of the base station changes, so that operation
steps are simplified, thereby resolving a technical problem in the
prior art that after the base station moves, position coordinates
output by the mobile station have an offset, and the map of the
working region needs to be regenerated, resulting in relatively
complex steps.
[0065] To achieve the foregoing objective, according to a second
aspect of the present invention, an embodiment provides a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module, the navigation module
being based on a differential positioning technology and including
a base station and the mobile station for resolving a relative
position with respect to the base station according to differential
information sent by the base station, the mobile station
including:
[0066] a resolution module, configured to: before an absolute
position of the base station changes, acquire a first relative
position with respect to the base station; and after the absolute
position of the base station changes, acquire a second relative
position with respect to the base station;
[0067] a control module, configured to: before and after the
absolute position of the base station changes, keep the mobile
station at a same absolute position; and
[0068] an update module, configured to update a map of a working
region of the mobile station according to the first relative
position and the second relative position, or, instruct the base
station to update a stored absolute position of the base station,
where points on the map are used to indicate relative positions
with respect to the base station.
[0069] For the mobile station applicable to a navigation module in
this embodiment of the present invention, before an absolute
position of a base station changes, the mobile station acquires a
first relative position with respect to the base station. Next,
before and after the absolute position of the base station changes,
the mobile station is kept at a same absolute position, and after
the absolute position of the base station changes, the mobile
station acquires a second relative position with respect to the
base station, so that the mobile station may update a map of a
working region of the mobile station according to the first
relative position and the second relative position, or, instruct
the base station to update a stored absolute position of the base
station, where points on the map are used to indicate relative
positions with respect to the base station. Accordingly, the mobile
station does not need to repeat a process of moving along a
boundary of the working region to generate a map when a position of
the base station changes, so that operation steps are simplified,
thereby resolving a technical problem in the prior art that after
the base station moves, position coordinates output by the mobile
station have an offset, and the map of the working region needs to
be regenerated, resulting in relatively complex steps.
[0070] To achieve the foregoing objective, according to a third
aspect of the present invention, an embodiment provides another
mobile station applicable to a navigation module, the navigation
module being based on a differential positioning technology, and
including a base station and the mobile station for resolving a
relative position with respect to the base station according to
differential information sent by the base station, and the mobile
station including: a memory, a processor, and a computer program
that is stored in the memory and may run on the processor, where
when executing the program, the processor performs the position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present
invention.
[0071] To achieve the foregoing objective, according to a fourth
aspect of the present invention, an embodiment provides a computer
readable storage medium, storing a computer program, where when
being executed by a processor, the program performs the position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present
invention.
[0072] To achieve the foregoing objective, according to a fifth
aspect of the present invention, an embodiment provides a computer
program product, where when being executed by a processor, an
instruction in the computer program product performs the position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present
invention.
[0073] Some additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of
the present invention will be described partially below, and some
will be obvious from the following descriptions or understood
through the practice of the present invention.
[0074] The embodiments of the present invention provide a pet
collar system and a pet collar control method to solve the problem
that a conventional electronic pet collar is easily susceptible to
interference and has low positioning precision.
[0075] A pet collar system includes: a base station, a collar body,
and a training apparatus disposed on the collar body, where the
base station stores base station coordinate information, the base
station receives base station positioning data observed by a
satellite positioning system, the base station computes a
differential observation value according to the base station
coordinate information and the base station positioning data,
obtains a positioning error correction value, and sends the
positioning error correction value to the training apparatus, and
the training apparatus includes a mobile satellite antenna, a base
station radio antenna, a microprocessor, and an alarm, where
[0076] the mobile satellite antenna is configured to: receive
collar positioning data observed by the satellite positioning
system, and send the received collar positioning data to the
microprocessor;
[0077] the base station radio antenna is configured to receive the
positioning error correction value sent by the base station, and
send the received positioning error correction value to the
microprocessor;
[0078] the microprocessor stores a pet movement boundary region in
advance, and a pet is restricted to the pet movement boundary
region; the microprocessor performs positioning correction
processing according to the collar positioning data and the
positioning error correction value, determines whether a distance
between the pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than
or equal to a preset distance threshold, and when the distance
between the pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than
or equal to the preset distance threshold, sends an alarm signal to
the alarm; and
[0079] the alarm is configured to output alarm information
according to the alarm signal.
[0080] In one of the embodiments, the microprocessor includes:
[0081] a storage unit, configured to store the pet movement
boundary region;
[0082] a positioning correction unit, configured to perform
positioning correction processing according to the collar
positioning data and the positioning error correction value, to
obtain current pet position coordinate information;
[0083] a position determining unit, configured to: compute the
distance between the pet and the pet movement boundary region
according to the current pet position coordinate information, and
determine whether the distance between the pet and the pet movement
boundary region is less than or equal to the preset distance
threshold; and
[0084] an alarm unit, configured to: when the distance between the
pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than or equal to
the preset distance threshold, output an alarm signal to the
alarm.
[0085] In one of the embodiments, the pet collar further includes
an acceleration sensor, the acceleration sensor is disposed on the
collar body, the acceleration sensor is connected to the
microprocessor, and the acceleration sensor is configured to:
acquire pet movement acceleration, and send the acquired pet
movement acceleration to the microprocessor.
[0086] The microprocessor further includes a power management unit,
where the power management unit is configured to: receive the pet
movement acceleration, and compare the pet movement acceleration
with a prestored acceleration threshold, so that when the pet
movement acceleration is less than or equal to the acceleration
threshold, a sleep mode is started to enable the microprocessor to
enter a sleep state, and when the pet movement acceleration is
greater than the acceleration threshold, the microprocessor wakes
up to work.
[0087] In one of the embodiments, the pet collar further includes a
terminal communications module, the microprocessor exchanges
information with a remote terminal by using the terminal
communications module, and the remote terminal includes one or more
of a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer.
[0088] In one of the embodiments, the pet movement boundary region
is drawn in map software on the mobile phone, tablet or
computer.
[0089] In one of the embodiments, the base station is a base
station of an autonomous lawn mower, and the boundary region is a
map boundary region learned by the autonomous lawn mower.
[0090] A pet collar control method is used to restrict a pet to a
pet movement boundary region, and includes the following steps:
[0091] receiving collar positioning data observed by a satellite
positioning system, and receiving a positioning error correction
value sent by a base station;
[0092] performing positioning correction processing according to
the collar positioning data and the positioning error correction
value, to obtain current pet position coordinate information;
[0093] computing a distance between the pet and a preset pet
movement boundary region according to the current pet position
coordinate information, and determining whether the distance
between the pet and the preset pet movement boundary region is less
than or equal to a preset distance threshold; and
[0094] when the distance between the pet and the pet movement
boundary region is less than or equal to the preset distance
threshold, outputting an alarm signal.
[0095] In one of the embodiments, before the step of receiving
collar positioning data observed by the satellite positioning
system, and receiving a positioning error correction value sent by
the base station, the method includes the following steps:
[0096] receiving, by the base station, base station positioning
data observed by the satellite positioning system, computing a
differential observation value according to the base station
positioning data and prestored base station coordinate information,
and obtaining the positioning error correction value.
[0097] In one of the embodiments, the pet collar control method
further includes the following steps:
[0098] detecting pet movement acceleration, and comparing the pet
movement acceleration with a prestored acceleration threshold, so
that when the pet movement acceleration is less than or equal to
the acceleration threshold, a sleep mode is started to enable a
microprocessor to enter a sleep state, and when the pet movement
acceleration is greater than the acceleration threshold, the
microprocessor wakes up to work.
[0099] In one of the embodiments, before the step of receiving
collar positioning data observed by the satellite positioning
system, and receiving a positioning error correction value sent by
the base station, the method includes the following step:
[0100] receiving a pet movement boundary region sent by a remote
terminal for storage, where the remote terminal includes one or
more of a mobile phone, a tablet or a computer.
[0101] In one of the embodiments, the boundary region is a map
boundary region learned by an autonomous lawn mower.
[0102] In one of the embodiments, a pet collar establishes a
communication connection with the remote terminal via a network,
and the pet collar control method further includes the following
steps:
[0103] sending, by the pet collar, the current pet position
coordinate information to the remote terminal in real time, and
when the distance between the pet and the pet movement boundary
region is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold,
sending, by the pet collar, an alarm signal to the remote terminal;
and receiving, by the remote terminal, the current pet position
coordinate information and the alarm signal, and outputting, by the
remote terminal, a control instruction to the pet collar according
to the current pet position coordinate information or the alarm
signal.
[0104] The pet collar system and pet collar control method are used
to form a virtual pet fence around a pet movement boundary region
to restrict a pet to the pet movement boundary region, so as to
prevent the pet from getting lost. For the pet collar system and
pet collar control method, positioning correction processing is
performed according to collar positioning data observed by a
satellite positioning system and a positioning error correction
value sent by a base station, and it is determined whether a
distance between the pet and a prestored pet movement boundary
region is less than or equal to a preset distance threshold, and
when the distance between the pet and the pet movement boundary
region is less than or equal to the preset distance threshold, a
microprocessor outputs an alarm signal to an alarm, and the alarm
outputs alarm information to prevent the pet from moving beyond a
preset movement boundary region, so as to prevent the pet from
getting lost. For the pet collar system and pet collar control
method, the satellite positioning system is used to locate the pet,
and it is not necessary to arrange a boundary line, so that
implementation operations are simple and convenient. Moreover, for
the pet collar system and pet collar control method, correction
processing is performed on a positioning result according to the
positioning error correction value computed by the base station by
using a differential observation value, so as to eliminate the
impact of various interference factors on a positioning progress,
so that positioning with centimeter precision can be achieved, the
pet is precisely located, and positioning precision is high.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0105] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a returning method of a self-moving
device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0106] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of selecting a return path according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0107] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of determining an optimal path
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0108] FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are schematic diagrams of a preset
return path according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0109] FIG. 5a is a schematic diagram of an acquisition module
according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0110] FIG. 5b to FIG. 5f are a schematic diagram of a control
module according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0111] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control module according
to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0112] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an automatic working system
according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0113] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an autonomous
lawn mower according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0114] FIG. 9a and FIG. 9b are schematic composition diagrams of a
navigation module according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0115] FIG. 10a to FIG. 10d are working schematic diagrams of an
offset calibration apparatus according to the first embodiment of
the present invention;
[0116] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a roller apparatus of a
mobile station according to a sixth embodiment of the present
invention;
[0117] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a raster according to the
first embodiment of the present invention;
[0118] FIG. 13 is a working principle diagram of a navigation
module according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0119] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of communication between a
base station and a mobile station according to the first embodiment
of the present invention;
[0120] FIG. 15a to FIG. 15c are principle diagrams of position
correction by the base station according to the first embodiment of
the present invention;
[0121] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of position correction by the base
station according to the first embodiment of the present
invention;
[0122] FIG. 17 to FIG. 21 are schematic diagrams of a movement path
of an autonomous lawn mower according to the first embodiment of
the present invention;
[0123] FIG. 22 to FIG. 24 are schematic diagrams of a return path
of an autonomous lawn mower according to the first embodiment of
the present invention;
[0124] FIG. 25 is a schematic flowchart of a first position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0125] FIG. 26a is a schematic diagram of positions before a base
station moves according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0126] FIG. 26b is a schematic diagram of positions after a base
station moves according to an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0127] FIG. 27 is a schematic flowchart of a second position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0128] FIG. 28 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0129] FIG. 29 is a schematic structural diagram of another mobile
station applicable to a navigation module according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0130] FIG. 30 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0131] FIG. 31 is a schematic structural diagram of a pet collar
system according to an embodiment;
[0132] FIG. 32 is a structural principle diagram of a training
apparatus according to an embodiment;
[0133] FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of
a pet collar system according to an embodiment;
[0134] FIG. 34 is a principle flowchart of a pet collar control
method according to an embodiment;
[0135] FIG. 35 is a schematic diagram of an application environment
of using a pet collar system to train a pet according to an
embodiment; and
[0136] FIG. 36 is a flowchart of using a pet collar system to train
a pet according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0137] The following clearly and completely describes the technical
solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with
reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the
present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are merely
some of the embodiments of the present invention rather than all of
the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of
ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present
invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection
scope of the present invention.
[0138] In a satellite navigation technology, a navigation signal is
sent to a robot, and the robot may acquire position information of
the robot in real time according to the navigation signal, so that
the robot may determine, according to the position information,
whether the robot is located inside a working region. Specifically,
for example, a global positioning system (GPS) mobile station may
be disposed on the robot and may receive a satellite positioning
signal. To further improve positioning precision, a fixed GPS base
station may be installed around the working region to provide a
positioning correction signal. For example, a GPS base station
disposed outside the working region may receive the satellite
positioning signal, generate the positioning correction signal
according to the satellite positioning signal, and send the
positioning correction signal to the GPS mobile station disposed on
the robot, so that the robot can be located more accurately.
[0139] Specifically, the DGPS technology in this embodiment is a
real-time kinematic (RTK) technology, that is, a carrier-phase
differential technology. The mobile station performs computation by
using a carrier-phase algorithm. The DGPS technology may be
alternatively a continuously operating satellite reference station
(CORS) technology.
[0140] In addition, to enable the robot to reliably work in the
working region, the robot needs to generally learn about a map of
the working region. For example, the robot may acquire the map of
the working region by using several methods in the following.
First, a user may define the working region on a map directly
loaded in the system of the robot. For example, the map may be
Baidu Map or Google Map. Second, if the GPS mobile station and the
robot have an integrated structure, the robot may walk one lap
around the working region to acquire the map. Specifically, for
example, the user may push the machine to walk inside the working
region, or the user may use a remote control to control the machine
to walk, or the robot may follow the user, or a boundary sensor
configured to detect the working region may be configured on the
machine. In addition, the GPS mobile station may be disposed
separately from the machine, so that the user may separately carry
the GPS mobile station to walk one lap around the working
region.
[0141] It should be noted that the map of the working region may
further include coordinates of a pool, a bush or other feature
information inside the working region in addition to coordinates of
a boundary. In this way, the machine may work deliberately
according to the acquired map of the working region. For example,
the work may be weeding, ploughing, fertilization, and the like.
However, the working type of the machine in the working region is
not limited in the present invention.
[0142] An embodiment of the present invention provides a returning
method of a self-moving device. A self-moving device autonomously
moves inside a working region based on a map. Referring to FIG. 1,
the method includes: S100, acquiring a current position of the
self-moving device in the working region; S200, selecting a return
path to a target position according to the current position; S300,
determining a reuse status of the return path, and determining,
based on the reuse status of the return path, whether to reselect a
return path; and S400, enabling the self-moving device to return to
the target position along the return path. In the returning method
of a self-moving device in this embodiment, a return path is
deliberately selected according to a current position and a target
position to enable a self-moving device to reliably return to the
target position. It is determined, according to a reuse status of a
return path, whether to reselect a return path, so as to prevent a
robot from repeatedly moving along a same segment of path to crush
a lawn, thereby ensuring the beauty of the lawn.
[0143] In this embodiment, the robot records several previous
return paths. The reuse status of the return path includes whether
there is a repetition between the return path and one previous
return path or several previous return paths, and includes a reuse
length or a reuse frequency.
[0144] As discussed above, the self-moving device may be located by
using satellite navigation to acquire coordinates of the
self-moving device in the working region, and a passable return
path is selected by combining coordinates of the target position
and the map of the working region. For example, the foregoing
self-moving device may be a lawn mower that moves by using wheels
or continuous tracks. For example, the return path should avoid a
pool, a bush, an obstacle, and the like. That is, it needs to be
ensured that the machine can pass instead of getting stuck,
falling, colliding or the like during movement.
[0145] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 2, the determining a
reuse status of the return path, and determining, based on the
reuse status of the return path, whether to reselect a return path
includes: S1001, taking the currently selected return path as a
first return path, S1002, calculating a reuse length and/or a reuse
frequency of the first return path, and S1003, determining,
according to the reuse length and/or reuse frequency, whether the
self-moving device returns to the target position along the first
return path. For example, when the working region is a lawn and the
lawn mower needs to return to the target position for charging, if
a same path is taken every time, grass of the lawn on the path may
be crushed and the lawn may have a damaged appearance. When the
lawn mower returns to the target position along a different path
each time, some regions on the lawn may be prevented from excessive
damage.
[0146] For example, when the reuse length is greater than 1/3 of a
total length of the first return path or a use quantity in one day
is greater than or equal to 2, a second return path that does not
coincide with the first return path may be selected as the return
path. It needs to be pointed out that the second return path may be
completely different or partially different from the first return
path. For example, when a grass-free area is kept on the lawn, the
first return path and the second return path may share a part in
the grass-free area, and are different for the remaining part. For
example, if the machine returns to the target position frequently
or a relatively large quantity of obstacles exist in the working
region, it is very unlikely that the second return path and the
first return path have no intersection. In this case, the second
return path may partially intersect or partially coincide with the
first return path. When paths taken by the machine to return to the
target position do not coincide or do not intersect and partially
intersect or partially coincide, a position in the working region
may be prevented from excessive damage. Moreover, it becomes
convenient for the machine to move in the working region, thereby
improving autonomous experience of the machine.
[0147] In an embodiment, use information of at least a part of the
first return path may be recorded, and the reuse length and reuse
frequency of the first return path may be determined according to
the information. Generally, for example, when the map of the
working region includes a virtual grid, the machine may compute the
first return path according to the current position and the target
position. That is, if both the current position and the target
position are determined, the machine may first compute the fixed
first return path. After returning to the target position along the
first return path, the machine may record the first return path
once, so that the record may be used as a reference for determining
whether to select the first return path. In this embodiment,
information related to a return path is recorded, so that the reuse
status of the return path can be conveniently determined to provide
a basis for subsequent path selection.
[0148] In an embodiment, the selecting a return path to a target
position according to the current position includes: determining an
optimal path between the current position and the target position,
and using the optimal path as the return path. Referring to FIG. 3,
for example, the determining an optimal path between the current
position and the target position may include: S1010, loading the
map of the working region in the self-moving device; S1011, marking
a grid with equal intervals on the map; and S1012, determining a
shortest path according to the grid. Alternatively, the loaded map
may be directly a raster map. In this case, step S1011 is omitted.
The determining an optimal path between the current position and
the target position includes: computing the shortest path between
the current position and the target position. For example, the
return path of the self-moving device is a straight line. The
determining a shortest path according to the gridincludes:
selecting a path of a straight line or a polygonal line that covers
the fewest raster cells between the current position and the target
position.
[0149] A distance, a level of walking difficulty, and the like need
to be comprehensively considered for the optimal path. The level of
walking difficulty includes a quantity of slopes on a path, a
quantity of obstacles on a path, a quantity of times that the
machine needs to adjust an attitude, and the like.
[0150] It should be noted that the foregoing straight line or
polygonal line needs to avoid an obstacle, a pool, and the like in
the working region. And it can be a straight line or multiple
polygonal line. The principle is that the sum of the distance of
the straight line or multiple polygonal line between the current
position and the target position is relatively short. For example,
the return path between the current position and the target
position may be alternatively a combination of at least two of a
straight line, a polygonal line or a curved line.
[0151] During the computation of the shortest path, when there is a
passage between the robot and the target position, there is an
overlap at a part of path from the passage to the target position.
When the solution in this embodiment is used, path repetition can
be effectively avoided, thereby preventing the lawn from being
crushed.
[0152] In an embodiment, the returning method further includes:
presetting several preset return paths; enabling the self-moving
device to return to the target position along one of the preset
return paths. That is, one or more return paths may be set inside
the working region, so that when needing to return to the target
position, the machine may return to the target position along one
of the paths.
[0153] In this embodiment, for example, the machine may acquire
position coordinates of the machine in the working region, and
compute a shortest distance from the preset return path according
to the position coordinates, so that the machine may rapidly reach
the preset return path via the shortest distance. Referring to FIG.
4a, for example, the preset return paths may be a plurality of
paths 12, 13, and 14 inside the working region. These paths may
share a part of path (for example, there is no lawn on the shared
part of path, and therefore, the self-moving device may walk on the
path repeatedly), so that when working inside the working region,
the self-moving device may autonomously compute optimal moving
solutions to the plurality of preset paths. Moreover, after
reaching a preset path, the self-moving device moves to a target
position 2 along a preset path. For example, a part of the preset
path in an obstacle 4 inside the working region is a shared path.
Referring to FIG. 4b, for example, the preset paths may be a
plurality of closed return paths 12, 13, and 14 set inside the
working region. For example, the plurality of return paths may be a
group of a plurality of circular rings or rectangular rings (a
group of rectangles are provided in FIG. 4). These circular rings
or rectangular rings 12, 13, and 14 may be connected by a straight
line 16 near the target position, so that when moving to an
intersection with the straight line along a circular ring or
rectangular ring, the machine adjusts the attitude and further
moves to the target position 2 along the straight line 16. For
example, the return path 14 on the outermost side may be close to a
boundary line of the working region. For example, the return path
14 located on the outermost side may directly pass through the
target position 2, so that when needing to return to the target
position, the machine may continue to move in a current movement
direction of the machine. When reaching the preset return path, the
machine returns to the target position along the preset path. In
this embodiment, a return path is preset, so that the machine can
return to the target position more easily, and the machine is
prevented from colliding with an obstacle, tipping over or the like
during a return.
[0154] In an embodiment, the returning method further includes:
presetting a virtual boundary line of the working region; and
selecting a path along the virtual boundary line or near the
virtual boundary line as the return path. The boundary line may be
marked on the foregoing map, so that the machine can return to the
target position along a path along the boundary line or near the
boundary line. The virtual boundary line is set, and the machine is
enabled to return along the virtual boundary line, so that a lawn
inside the working region can be prevented from damage, thereby
improving user experience of the self-moving device.
[0155] It may be understood that when the machine returns along a
preset return path or along a path along/near the virtual boundary
line, a reuse status of a path may be not considered, or a reuse
status of a path may be considered and path switching is
performed.
[0156] In some embodiments, after the enabling the self-moving
device to return to the target position along the return path, the
method further includes: enabling the self-moving device to be
docked to a charging pile for charging. For example, the enabling
the self-moving device to be docked to a charging pile for charging
includes: enabling the self-moving device to adjust an attitude at
the target position to dock a charging part of the self-moving
device to the charging pile for charging.
[0157] In some scenarios, for example, when a distance between the
target position and the charging pile is excessively small, it is
very difficult to directly dock the machine to the charging pile at
the target position. In this case, the self-moving device may be
first enabled to reverse from the charging pile by a preset
distance at the target position, adjustment of the attitude is
completed within the preset distance, and the self-moving device is
enabled to move to the charging pile with the attitude to be docked
to the charging pile for charging. In this embodiment, in the
charging step, the self-moving device reaches a fixed position
before the charging pile, reverses and adjusts the attitude, and
advances to perform docking, so that the machine can be
automatically charged conveniently and autonomous experience is
improved for a user.
[0158] In addition, the enabling the self-moving device to be
docked to a charging pile for charging further includes: enabling
the self-moving device to record the preset distance and the
attitude, so that the self-moving device may reach the preset
distance from the charging pile and may be docked to the charging
pile with the attitude for charging. That is, the machine
autonomously records a position, the attitude, and a process by
using which the machine can be successfully docked to the charging
pile for charging, so that during charging a next time, the machine
can be charged more rapidly by using the position, the attitude,
and the process.
[0159] In addition, a docking parameter for the machine and the
charging pile may further be recorded in advance. That is, after
the map of the working region is loaded, the machine may be placed
on a charging station. The position and the attitude of the machine
are recorded. The machine is enabled to reverse from the charging
station by the preset distance and then advance to perform docking.
If docking succeeds, the machine stores the preset distance by
which the machine reverses/a position to which the machine reverses
and a charging attitude at the position. The position is used as
the target position. That is, generally, to adjust the attitude,
the machine needs to be kept at a distance from the charging
station. When the machine returns to perform docking, the machine
may return to the position first and complete adjustment of the
attitude at the position, so as to complete docking to the charging
pile for charging. In the solution, for example, a virtual return
path may be used in combination. That is, the machine returns to
the position along the virtual path. The method requires relatively
high positioning precision, and may be used when a docking manner
allows a particular positioning error. When a docking manner allows
a small positioning error, an infrared manner, an ultrasonic
manner, a guiding wire manner, a guiderail manner, and the like may
be additionally used to precisely dock the machine to the charging
pile.
[0160] It should be noted that in addition to the docking to the
charging pile for charging, the machine may return to the target
position for maintenance, may return to a parking area after
finishing working, or may return to the target position for
refueling. This is not limited in the present invention.
[0161] Another aspect of another embodiment of the present
invention provides a self-moving device. Referring to FIG. 5a, the
self-moving device 1 includes an acquisition module 110 and a
control module 120. The acquisition module 110 is configured to
acquire a current position of the self-moving device 1 in a working
region. The control module 120 is configured to: select a return
path to a target position according to the current position;
determine a reuse status of the return path, and determine, based
on the reuse status of the return path, whether to reselect a
return path; and control the self-moving device 1 to return to the
target position along the return path. The machine provided in the
embodiment of the present invention may rapidly return to a target
position in the working region and have promising application
prospects. It is determined, according to a reuse status of a
return path, whether to reselect a return path, so as to prevent a
robot from repeatedly moving along a same segment of path to crush
a lawn, thereby ensuring the beauty of the lawn.
[0162] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 5b, the control module
includes a first calculation unit 121 and a control unit 122. The
currently selected return path is taken as a first return path. The
first calculation unit 120 is configured to calculate a reuse
length and/or a reuse frequency of the first return path, and the
control unit 122 determines, according to the reuse length and/or
reuse frequency, whether the self-moving device 1 returns to the
target position along the first return path. For example, the
control unit 122 is further configured to: when the reuse length is
greater than a preset threshold (for example, the preset threshold
is 1/3 of the total length of the first return path) or the reuse
frequency is greater than or equal to twice a day, control the
self-moving device 1 to return to the target position along a
second return path that completely does not coincide with the first
return path, partially does not coincide with the first return path
or does not intersect with the first return path. The machine in
this embodiment returns to the target position along paths that do
not completely coincide, so that the working region can be
prevented from damage, and user experience can be improved.
[0163] In this embodiment, the first calculation unit 121 is
configured to: record information related to a return path, and
determine a reuse status of the return path according to the
information. That is, the first calculation unit 121 may record use
information (for example, the information may include a reuse
length, a reuse frequency, and/or the like) of the return path, so
that when an entire return path or a part of the return path is
excessively used, the control unit 122 controls the machine to
avoid the entire return path or the part of the return path to
prevent the working region from damage.
[0164] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 5c, the control module
120 further includes a first computation unit 123. The first
computation unit 123 is configured to compute an optimal path
between the current position and the target position, and the
control unit 122 uses the optimal path as the return path. For
example, during computation, the acquisition module may acquire
coordinates of the current position of the machine, and the optimal
path is computed according to the coordinates and coordinates of
the target position. As discussed above, the optimal path may be a
shortest path.
[0165] In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 5d, for example, the
control module 120 may further include a load unit 125 and a mark
unit 126. The load unit 125 is configured to load a map of the
working region. The mark unit 126 is configured to mark a reference
grid (for example, a grid with equal intervals on the map may be
positive square boxes) on the map. The first computation unit 123
is configured to determine the optimal path according to the grid.
Similarly, when the loaded map is a raster map, the control module
120 may include no mark unit. A distance, a level of walking
difficulty, and the like need to be comprehensively considered for
the optimal path. That is, a balance needs to be reached between
the level of walking difficulty and the distance. Specifically, the
distance may be determined by a quantity of virtual cells covered
by a path. When the quantity of cells is larger, the path is
longer, and vice versa. The level of walking difficulty includes a
quantity of slopes on a path, a quantity of obstacles on a path,
and a quantity of times that the machine needs to adjust an
attitude, and the like. For example, the return path may be an
L-shaped path or a straight line path.
[0166] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 5e, the control module
further includes a first preset unit 127. The first preset unit 127
is configured to preset several preset return paths. The control
unit 122 is configured to control the self-moving device 1 to
return to the target position along a return path. Referring to the
foregoing descriptions and accompanying drawings, the return paths
may be a plurality of closed patterns in the working region, and
specifically, may be a plurality of rectangular rings or a
plurality of circular rings. When needing to return to the target
position, the machine may continue to move in a current movement
direction of the machine, and when reaching one of the plurality of
rectangular rings or circular rings, the machine returns to the
target position along the circular ring or rectangular ring. For
example, these virtual circular return lines set in the working
region may be connected by a straight line in a region near the
target position, and the other end of the straight line is
connected to the target position. In this way, during a return, the
machine first moves to a position of an intersection with the
straight line along a virtual circular return line, and moves to
the target position along the straight line.
[0167] In this embodiment, for example, referring to FIG. 5f, the
control module 120 may further include a second computation unit
128. The second computation unit 128 is configured to compute an
optimal path (including the shortest path) between the current
position and the preset return path, so that the control unit 122
controls the self-moving device to move to the target position
along the optimal path. That is, when needing to return the target
position, the machine may first acquire position information of the
machine, and compute, according to a relationship between the
position and the preset return line on the map, the optimal path
for reaching the preset return line, so that the machine may reach
the preset return line rapidly along the optimal path.
[0168] In addition, in another embodiment, the first preset unit
127 is configured to preset a virtual boundary line of the working
region. The control unit 122 controls the self-moving device to
return to the target position along a path along the virtual
boundary line or near the virtual boundary line.
[0169] In the foregoing embodiment, several preset return
paths/virtual boundary lines are preset, so that the machine can
reliably and rapidly return to the target position, and the machine
can be prevented from getting stuck, tipping over, colliding with
an obstacle or the like during a return.
[0170] In some embodiments in the foregoing, referring to FIG. 6,
the control module 120 further includes an attitude determining
unit 128 and an adjustment unit 129. The attitude determining unit
128 is configured to: when the self-moving device 1 moves to the
target position, determine an attitude of the self-moving device 1,
and the attitude adjustment unit 129 is configured to adjust the
attitude of the self-moving device 1, to enable the self-moving
device 1 to be docked to a charging pile for charging.
[0171] For example, the control module 120 may further include a
second preset unit and a comparison unit. The second preset unit is
configured to set a standard distance/relative position with
respect to the charging pile and a charging attitude of the
self-moving device, and the comparison unit is configured to:
compare a current attitude of the self-moving device with the
charging attitude, and adjust the attitude of the self-moving
device to the charging attitude.
[0172] Similarly, the control module may further include a
recording unit. For example, the recording unit may be configured
to record the attitude with which the machine can be docked to the
charging pile, a distance/relative position of the machine with
respect to the charging pile, and the like. In this way, the
control unit may control the self-moving device to first move to a
position with the distance from the charging pile/the position, and
adjust the self-moving device to the attitude with which the
self-moving device can be charged, so as to rapidly charge the
self-moving device.
[0173] In some embodiments, if the self-moving device encounters a
shaded region (that is, a region in which a satellite navigation
signal is weak inside the working region and the self-moving device
cannot be normally navigated), a distance of the shaded region and
a required time for the self-moving device to cross the shaded
region may be determined if the self-moving device moves in a
current movement direction. If the distance or the required time
exceeds a preset threshold, the self-moving device may choose to
avoid the shaded region.
[0174] In this case, for example, the self-moving device may
include a preset unit and a determining unit. The preset unit is
configured to preset a distance or time threshold within which the
self-moving device can be precisely navigated when the self-moving
device moves in the shaded region. The determining unit is
configured to: determine whether a distance of a shaded region that
the self-moving device encounters or a time required to cross the
shaded region exceeds the distance or time threshold, and
determine, according to a determining result, whether to avoid the
shaded region.
[0175] Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a
storage medium, storing a computer readable instruction, where when
being invoked, the computer readable instruction performs the
foregoing returning method of a self-moving device
[0176] Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a
server, including a memory and a processor, where the memory stores
a computer readable instruction, and the processor is configured to
invoke the computer readable instruction to perform the foregoing
returning method of a self-moving device.
[0177] The foregoing embodiments may be combined with each other to
produce better effects.
[0178] The present invention is further described below with
reference to the accompanying drawings and several embodiments.
[0179] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an automatic working system
100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The
automatic working system includes a self-moving device. In this
embodiment, the self-moving device is an autonomous lawn mower 1.
In another embodiment, the self-moving device may be alternatively
an unattended device such as an automatic cleaning device, an
automatic irrigation device, an automatic snowplow, and the like.
The automatic working system 100 further includes a charging
station 2 configured to charge the autonomous lawn mower 1. In this
embodiment, the automatic working system 100 includes a navigation
module configured to output a current position of the autonomous
lawn mower. Specifically, the navigation module includes a base
station 17 and a mobile station 15.
[0180] As shown in FIG. 7, the automatic working system is
configured to work within a predetermined working region. In this
embodiment, the working region includes at least two separate
sub-working regions. The sub-working regions are connected through
the passage 400. A boundary 200 is formed between the working
region and a non-working region. Obstacles 9, 11 exist in the
working region. The obstacle is a tree, a pit or the like.
[0181] The structure of the autonomous lawn mower 1 in this
embodiment is shown in FIG. 8. The autonomous lawn mower 1 includes
a housing 3, a movement module, a task execution module, an energy
source module, a control module, and the like. The movement module
includes a continuous track 5 driven by a drive motor to enable the
autonomous lawn mower 1 to move. The task execution module includes
a cutting assembly 7 performing grass cutting work. The energy
source module includes a battery pack (not shown) supplying
electrical energy for the autonomous lawn mower 1 to move and work.
The control module is electrically connected to the movement
module, the task execution module, and the energy source module,
controls the movement module to enable the autonomous lawn mower 1
to move, and controls the task execution module to perform a
task.
[0182] The composition of the navigation module in this embodiment
is shown in FIG. 9(a) and FIG. 9(b). The navigation module includes
the base station 17 and the mobile station 15. The base station 17
and the mobile station 15 both receive satellite signals, and the
base station 17 sends a positioning correction signal to the mobile
station 15, to implement differential satellite positioning. In
this embodiment, the base station 17 and the mobile station 15
receive GPS positioning signals to implement DGPS positioning.
Certainly, in another embodiment, the base station 17 and the
mobile station 15 may alternatively receive positioning signals of
the Galileo satellite navigation system, the Beidou satellite
navigation system, the global navigation satellite system (GLONASS)
or the like.
[0183] As shown in FIG. 9(a), in this embodiment, the base station
17 includes: a GPS antenna 19, receiving a GPS positioning signal;
a GPS card 21, processing the received GPS positioning signal, and
generating the positioning correction signal; and a communications
module 23, sending the positioning correction signal to the mobile
station 15. In this embodiment, the communications module 23
includes a radio station and a radio station antenna 25. The base
station further includes an indicator (not shown). The indicator
can output an indication showing whether a satellite signal at a
current position is desirable. In this embodiment, the base station
17 is disposed at the charging station 2 and is integrated with the
charging station 2. In another embodiment, the base station 17 may
be alternatively disposed separately from the charging station 2,
for example, may be disposed at a position such as a roof where a
satellite signal can be better received.
[0184] In this embodiment, the mobile station 15 includes: a
housing 27; a GPS antenna 29, receiving a GPS positioning signal; a
GPS card 31, processing the received GPS positioning signal; and a
communications module 33, receiving the positioning correction
signal sent by the base station 17. The communications module 33
includes a radio station and a radio station antenna 35. In this
embodiment, the mobile station 15 integrates an inertial navigation
apparatus (not shown). The inertial navigation apparatus outputs
inertial navigation data. When the mobile station 15 is working,
only a GPS positioning signal may be used for navigation, or a
positioning signal obtained by combining a GPS positioning signal
and inertial navigation data may be used for navigation, or only
inertial navigation data may be used for navigation if a GPS signal
is weak. The mobile station 15 further includes an indicator (not
shown) outputting an indication showing whether a GPS signal at a
current position is desirable. In this embodiment, the mobile
station 15 is detachably connected to the housing 3 of the
autonomous lawn mower 1. The mobile station 15 includes a first
interface (not shown) for connecting to the housing of the
autonomous lawn mower 1. When the autonomous lawn mower 1 is
working, the mobile station 15 is installed at the housing 3 of the
autonomous lawn mower 1. When being connected to the housing 3 of
the autonomous lawn mower 1, the mobile station 15 may be
electrically connected to the control module of the autonomous lawn
mower 1, the mobile station 15 outputs coordinates of the current
position of the autonomous lawn mower 1. The control module
controls, according to the current position of the autonomous lawn
mower 1, the autonomous lawn mower 1 to move and work. In this
embodiment, the mobile station 15 includes an independent power
supply module 37. The mobile station 15 may work independently when
being separated from the housing 3 of the autonomous lawn mower
1.
[0185] In this embodiment, before the autonomous lawn mower starts
to work, a map of the working region needs to be created.
Specifically, in this embodiment, the navigation module of the
automatic working system is used to create the map of the working
region. The creating the map of the working region includes a step
of recording the map.
[0186] The step of recording the map is started after a user
finishes installing the base station. In the first embodiment of
the present invention, to record the map, the mobile station is
separated from the housing of the autonomous lawn mower, the mobile
station works independently, and the user holds the mobile station
and walks to record the map. The recording the map includes the
following steps: Starting from a starting point, that is, a
position of the charging station in this embodiment, the user
starts to walk along a boundary of the working region to record
position coordinates of the boundary; the user walks along an
obstacle in the working region to record position coordinates of
the obstacle; the user walks along a traffic island in the working
region to record position coordinates of the traffic island; and
the user walks along a passage connecting sub-working regions to
record position coordinates of the passage. In this embodiment,
when the user holds the mobile station to record the map, the
inertial navigation apparatus is in an off state. The reason is
that when the user holds the mobile station and moves, with the
shaking of a hand, the mobile station may tilt around, causing
severe interference with the inertial navigation apparatus.
[0187] In this embodiment, to accurately record the map and
eliminate or reduce an error, the mobile station includes an offset
calibration apparatus. Specifically, the offset calibration
apparatus includes a laser beam emitter configured to assist in
positioning. The laser beam emitter is installed below a housing of
the mobile station and generates a laser beam perpendicular to the
bottom surface of the mobile station. Referring to FIG. 10(a), to
record the map, the user holds the mobile station and walks,
observes a light dot of the laser beam on the ground, and
determines whether the light dot of the laser beam on the ground is
at a preset position. For example, when the user walks along the
boundary, the user determines whether the light dot of the laser
beam on the ground is on the boundary. When the user walks an along
obstacle, the user determines whether the light dot of the laser
beam on the ground is at a periphery of the obstacle and the like.
The user adjusts, according to a determining result, a position of
the mobile station in real time, to keep the light dot of the laser
beam on the ground at the preset position, so that the laser beam
emitter assists in positioning. In this embodiment, the offset
calibration apparatus further includes an attitude detection module
39 and a laser ranging module 41, as shown in FIG. 10(b),
configured to correct an error between a position of the light dot
of the laser beam on the ground and an actual position of the
mobile station that occurs because the mobile station tilts. As
shown in FIGS. 10(b), 10(c), and 10(d), when the user holds the
mobile station and walks, the mobile station tilts, resulting in
the error between the position of the light dot of the laser beam
on the ground and the actual position of the mobile station. In
this case, the user observes that the position of the light dot of
the laser beam on the ground is at the preset position, but the
actual position of the mobile station is not at the preset
position, and the user cannot eliminate the error through
observation. The attitude detection module obtains tilt angles
.alpha. and .beta. of the mobile station, and the laser ranging
module measures a distance L from the mobile station to the light
dot of the laser beam on the ground, and the offset correction
values may be obtained by using the formulas .DELTA.X=L*sin .alpha.
and .DELTA.Y=L*sin .beta.. By using the foregoing method, an error
caused by a tilt of the mobile station during map recording is
eliminated, thereby ensuring map recording accuracy.
[0188] In a second embodiment of the present invention, to record
the map, the mobile station is installed at the housing of the
autonomous lawn mower, and the user uses an autonomous terminal
device such as a mobile phone and a tablet to remotely control the
autonomous lawn mower to move. Similarly, the step of recording the
map includes recording the boundary of the working region, an
obstacle in the working region, a passage connecting sub-regions or
the like. In this embodiment, in the process of recording the map,
the inertial navigation apparatus may be turned on. The reason is
that the mobile station is installed at the housing of the
autonomous lawn mower, and the mobile station moves relatively
stably. In this embodiment, in the process of recording the map,
the task execution module of the autonomous lawn mower is kept
off.
[0189] Referring to FIG. 11, in a third embodiment of the present
invention, the autonomous lawn mower includes a pushing rod,
detachably installed at the housing of the autonomous lawn mower.
To record the map, the mobile station is installed at the housing
of the autonomous lawn mower, the pushing rod is installed at the
housing of the autonomous lawn mower, and the user operates the
pushing rod to push the autonomous lawn mower to move, to record
the boundary of the working region, an obstacle, a passage or the
like. Similarly, the task execution module of the autonomous lawn
mower is kept off.
[0190] In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the
autonomous lawn mower includes an ultrasonic apparatus, so that the
autonomous lawn mower can follow the user at a distance. To record
the map, the mobile station is installed at the housing of the
autonomous lawn mower, the user walks along the boundary of the
working region, an obstacle, a passage or the like, and the
autonomous lawn mower follows the user, to record the map.
Similarly, the task execution module of the autonomous lawn mower
is kept off. The benefit of this approach is that the autonomous
lawn mower follows the user when recording the map, so that it can
be determined whether a position recorded on the map is accurate,
and the map is examined.
[0191] In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, to record
the map, the mobile station is separated from the autonomous lawn
mower, and the mobile station is placed on a pushable cart. For
example, the mobile station may be installed on a hand-propelled
device, and the user pushes a cart and walks, to record the
boundary of the working region, an obstacle, a passage or the like.
The benefit of this approach is that the mobile station moves
stably, and the inertial navigation apparatus may be turned on.
[0192] In a sixth embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station 15 includes a roller apparatus 43 detachably connected to
the housing 27 of the mobile station. The mobile station 15
includes a direction sensor 47 and a ranging sensor. The ranging
sensor includes a tachometer 49 installed on the roller apparatus
43. The roller apparatus 43 further includes a pushing rod 45. To
record the map, the mobile station 15 is separated from the housing
3 of the autonomous lawn mower, the roller apparatus 43 is
connected to the housing 27 of the mobile station 15, and the user
operates the pushing rod 45 to push the mobile station 15 to move
to record the map. To record the map, auxiliary positioning
information may be computed by using ranging information output by
the tachometer 49 and direction information output by the direction
sensor 47, and is used to calibrate a positioning error in
satellite positioning or inertial navigation. When the method is
used, the positioning error is small, and costs are low.
[0193] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station includes a second interface for connecting to the
intelligent terminal of the user. The intelligent terminal such as
a mobile phone and a tablet may be installed on the mobile station
through the second interface. The second interface may include an
electrical interface, so that when being installed on the mobile
station, the intelligent terminal is electrically connected to the
mobile station. In this embodiment, the mobile station communicates
with the intelligent terminal wirelessly by using the
communications module. The wireless communication manner may be,
for example, Wi-Fi, a cellular network or Bluetooth. To record the
map, the intelligent terminal is installed on the mobile station
and displays in real time information recorded by the mobile
station. In this embodiment, the mobile station includes several
buttons configured to input instructions such as "record a map" and
"complete recording". In another embodiment, the mobile station
includes a display screen displaying information in real time in
place of the intelligent terminal.
[0194] In this embodiment, the charging station is used as a
starting point on the map, and the autonomous lawn mower starts to
work from the charging station. To record the position of the
charging station, the mobile station is installed on the autonomous
lawn mower, so that the autonomous lawn mower is in a charging
state, or the charging state of the autonomous lawn mower is
simulated, that is, a docking state is completed, recording of the
position information of the charging station is confirmed manually
or by using a charging signal. The position information of the
charging station includes position coordinates, and further
includes attitude information of the autonomous lawn mower. The
autonomous lawn mower includes an acceleration sensor, an
electronic compass, and the like. To record the position of the
charging station, the acceleration sensor, the electronic compass,
and the like are used to record current information such as a
direction and a tilt angle of the autonomous lawn mower, to
facilitate accurate docking when the autonomous lawn mower
returns.
[0195] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station includes a map generation module configured to generate the
map of the working region according to recorded position
coordinates and save the map. In this embodiment, every time the
user walks to form a closed region, the user uses a button to input
a map generation instruction to generate map information of the
closed region. For example, when recording the boundary of the
working region, the user walks along a boundary of a sub-working
region. After the boundary of the sub-working region is completed,
the boundary of the sub-working region is generated, and then a
boundary of a next sub-working region starts to be recorded.
Similarly, when recording an obstacle and a passage, the user walks
along the obstacle or passage to form a closed region, the map
information corresponding to the closed region is generated, and
the user then records a next closed region. On the generated map,
an attribute is assigned to the recorded closed region. For
example, if a boundary attribute is assigned to the recorded closed
region, the autonomous lawn mower can work within the region but
cannot leave the region. If an obstacle attribute is assigned to
the recorded closed region, the autonomous lawn mower cannot enter
the region. In addition, an obstacle needs to be located inside the
boundary. Therefore, a part, outside the boundary, of the obstacle
will be discarded. If a passage attribute is assigned to the
recorded closed region, the autonomous lawn mower can enter the
region but cannot perform grass cutting work within the region. A
passage may be located inside or outside the boundary. If a passage
is located outside the boundary, the passage is used to connect two
separate sub-working regions. Therefore, the passage needs to
intersect with both the sub-working regions. If a passage is
located inside the boundary, the passage is usually a non-lawn
surface. Therefore, the autonomous lawn mower is also forbidden to
perform grass cutting work.
[0196] In this embodiment, a Cartesian coordinate system is
established to generate the map. Specifically, the first point from
which recording is started is used as the origin (0, 0) of the
coordinate axes. The position coordinates that correspond to the
origin and are output by the mobile station are (x0, y0). In this
embodiment, the origin (0, 0) of the coordinate axes corresponds to
the position coordinates of the charging station. As the user
records the map, the mobile station outputs position coordinates
(x1, y1), and converts the position coordinates (x1, y1) into
(x1-x0, y1-y0) when generating the map, so as to convert a
satellite positioning coordinate system into the Cartesian
coordinate system. In this embodiment, a raster image is generated
based on the Cartesian coordinate system. Rasterization precision,
for example, 1 mm, is defined. In the Cartesian coordinate system,
straight lines are drawn at an interval of 1 mm separately on X and
Y axes, so as to form the raster image. The recorded position
coordinates are converted into a grid on the Cartesian coordinate
system. In this way, the map recording process is equivalent to a
process of placing points on the raster image. As the points are
placed, each point further records some other information, for
example, a GPS signal condition at the point, the altitude of the
point, and a positioning error of the point. A boundary, an
obstacle, and a passage are all generated by using the foregoing
method.
[0197] After the raster image is generated, a cell attribute is
assigned to a raster cell. The cell attribute includes coordinates,
whether the autonomous lawn mower can cover the raster cell,
whether the autonomous lawn mower passes through the raster cell, a
quantity of times that the autonomous lawn mower passes through the
raster cell, a GPS signal condition, a positioning error, altitude,
a slope, temperature, humidity, sunlight intensity, and the like.
If the cell attribute of a raster cell indicates that the
autonomous lawn mower cannot cover the raster cell, when the
autonomous lawn mower approaches a position corresponding to the
raster cell, the control module controls the autonomous lawn mower
to change a movement manner to stay away from the position
corresponding to the raster cell. If the cell attribute of a raster
cell indicates that the autonomous lawn mower can cover the raster
cell, every time the autonomous lawn mower passes through the
raster cell, the cell attribute being the quantity of times that
the autonomous lawn mower passes through the raster cell of the
raster cell is increased by 1.
[0198] In this embodiment, to ensure map generation accuracy,
recorded coordinate points are filtered to eliminate low precision
coordinate points. A GPS signal condition of a point is mainly
analyzed to filter coordinate points. In this embodiment, according
to a GPS signal condition, coordinate points output by the mobile
station are categorized into several types. One of the types is a
high precision coordinate point. When the GPS signal is strong, the
mobile station outputs a high precision coordinate point, and the
high precision coordinate point is an RTK fixed solution. Another
one of the types is a low precision coordinate point. When the GPS
signal is weak, the mobile station outputs a low precision
coordinate point. According to a GPS signal condition, low
precision coordinate points are categorized into several grades,
including a pseudorange differential solution, a single-point
differential solution, an RTK float solution, and further includes
an inertial navigation solution. The inertial navigation solution
is coordinates output by using only inertial navigation positioning
when a GPS signal is lost. To record the map, a precision level of
a coordinate point is output as an additional value together with
coordinate value.
[0199] Referring to FIG. 12, according to distribution
characteristics of precision levels of coordinate points, there are
several methods for eliminating low precision coordinate points in
the following:
[0200] In a first case, individual low precision coordinate points
are scattered among continuous high precision coordinate points. In
this case, the low precision coordinate points are eliminated
directly.
[0201] In a second case, a segment of low precision coordinate
points exists between continuous high precision coordinate points.
It is generally believed that such a case occurs when the time
during which low precision coordinate points appear is less than 30
S during map recording. In this case, after low precision
coordinate points are eliminated, curve analysis is performed
according to high precision coordinate points at two ends, and
fitting is performed.
[0202] In a third case, low precision coordinate points appear for
a long time. It is generally believed that such a case occurs when
the time during which low precision coordinate points appear
exceeds 30 S during map recording. In this case, an indicator of
the mobile station sends a prompt signal to prompt the user that
map precision is inadequate, and the user may draw and modify the
map on a display interface of an intelligent terminal or a display
screen. If the user makes no modification, precision of these low
precision coordinate points is evaluated to determine an error
range, and these low precision coordinate points are offset into
the working region by a distance according to the error range,
thereby ensuring that the working region defined on the map is
inside an actual working region.
[0203] In this embodiment, an offset operation is performed on the
map to eliminate a positioning error. When the autonomous lawn
mower is working, the mobile station is installed at the housing of
the autonomous lawn mower to output coordinates of the current
position of the autonomous lawn mower. The positioning center of
the autonomous lawn mower is offset from the positioning center of
the mobile station during map recording. A safety problem may occur
if the offset is not calibrated. For example, when the autonomous
lawn mower moves towards the boundary but the positioning center of
the autonomous lawn mower is still within the boundary, the
autonomous lawn mower continues to move, and as a result the
autonomous lawn mower moves outside the boundary. To eliminate a
positioning error caused by the offset of the positioning center of
the autonomous lawn mower from the positioning center of the mobile
station during map recording, an offset operation is performed on
the map. A distance D of the offset of the positioning center of
the autonomous lawn mower from the positioning center of the mobile
station during map recording is determined, the boundary, an
obstacle, a passage, and the like are offset on the map into the
working region by the distance D. To be specific, the boundary and
the passage are shrunk by the distance D, and the obstacle is
enlarged by the distance D. An operation of shrinking the boundary
and a passage is also referred to as a map erosion, and an
operation of enlarging an obstacle is also referred to as a map
expansion.
[0204] A positioning error also exists during map recording. The
severity of the positioning error is related to a GPS signal
condition, that is, is related to a precision level of a coordinate
point. When the GPS signal is strong, the positioning error is
relatively small, and when the GPS signal is weak, the positioning
error is relatively large. When an offset operation is performed on
the map to eliminate a positioning error, first, a positioning
error of the position is evaluated according to GPS signal
conditions at different positions. This is also referred to as
error evaluation. Offsets on the map are then adjusted according to
error evaluations of different positions. An offset operation
similarly includes an erosion and an expansion.
[0205] In this embodiment, after the map of the working region is
offset, the map of the region may be joined with the maps of other
regions.
[0206] After the offset operation is completed, the step of
generating the map of the working region is completed.
[0207] In this embodiment, the mobile station further includes an
auxiliary positioning apparatus. The auxiliary positioning
apparatus includes a pedometer, a laser radar, a camera, an
odometer, an ultrasonic wave, and the like. The inertial navigation
apparatus may also be considered as an auxiliary positioning
apparatus. The auxiliary positioning apparatus is configured to
assist in GPS positioning when a GPS signal is weak, and a
correction value output by the auxiliary positioning apparatus is
used to correct a positioning error, so that the generated map is
more precise.
[0208] In a seventh embodiment of the present invention, the
working region has a boundary with a regular shape, for example, a
rectangular boundary. To record the map, the user only needs to
record the positions of the vertices of the working region. During
map generation, the vertices are connected to obtain the boundary.
The method is also applicable to a passage, an obstacle, and the
like with a regular shape. In the method, map generation efficiency
can be improved, and a possible region with a poor GPS signal in
the middle is avoided.
[0209] In the first embodiment of the present invention, GPS
positioning is implemented by using communication between the base
station and the mobile station. The base station is disposed in
several manners to enable the base station and the mobile station
to reliably and efficiently provide navigation data to the
automatic working system. In this embodiment, the base station is
disposed at the charging station and is powered by the charging
station. Certainly, in another embodiment, the base station may be
disposed separately from the charging station. The base station may
be powered by independent energy sources. For example, a power form
such as solar energy and wind energy may be used. In this
embodiment, to ensure a strong satellite signal at the base
station, before the charging station is installed, the user first
places the autonomous lawn mower at a position where the user
intends to install the charging station. Alternatively, the user
detaches the mobile station from the autonomous lawn mower and then
moves the mobile station to the position where the user intends to
install the charging station. The user turns on positioning,
determines positioning precision, and confirms that the positioning
precision is high before fixing the charging station. The base
station is provided with an acoustic, optical, electrical apparatus
or the like configured to feed back a condition of a satellite
signal to indicate whether an installing position or receiving
quality of the base station is appropriate. The base station can
perform comparison by using historical coordinates to determine
whether there is an exception such as blockage. If positioning
precision is reduced, it indicates that the base station may be
blocked. After discovering an exception, the base station sends
prompt information to the user or the autonomous lawn mower by
using a communications module, or switches a state to wait for
recovery.
[0210] To enable the base station and the mobile station to
reliably and efficiently provide navigation data to the automatic
working system, reliable and efficient communication between the
base station and the mobile station further needs to be
ensured.
[0211] As shown in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the base station
receives a satellite signal by using a GPS antenna, and sends
acquired carrier phase information to the mobile station by using
the communications module. The communications module includes a
radio station and a radio station antenna, and may also include a
Sub-1G module, a Wi-Fi module, and a 2G/3G/4G/5G module. The mobile
station also receives a satellite signal by using a GPS antenna,
and also receives, by using a communications module corresponding
to the base station, a carrier phase signal acquired by the base
station, to resolve relative position coordinates of the mobile
station with respect to the base station. The relative position
coordinates include longitude and latitude, and may further include
altitude. The precision may reach a centimeter level. To ensure
reliable long-distance transmission between the base station and
the mobile station, GPS positioning navigation data may be
transmitted in a wireless network manner such as 2G/3G/4G/5G. FIG.
14 is a schematic diagram of communication between the base station
and the mobile station.
[0212] In this embodiment, the mobile station may selectively
communicate with one of a plurality of different base stations. For
example, the mobile station may selectively communicate with a
first base station or a second base station. Specifically, the
automatic working system includes a plurality of base stations, or,
base stations of different automatic working systems located within
a region may be shared. The mobile station is switched among the
plurality of base stations. When an exception occurs during
communication between the mobile station and the first base
station, the mobile station may be automatically switched to the
second base station for communication.
[0213] In this embodiment, a satellite based augmentation system
may further be used to implement GPS navigation.
[0214] In this embodiment, the base station and the mobile station
may further communicate by using a lora technology.
[0215] In this embodiment, GPS positioning is implemented based on
that the base station is fixed at a position. When the base station
moves, position coordinates output by the mobile station have an
offset. To avoid the trouble of recording a map again after the
base station moves, in this embodiment, the mobile station is used
to obtain a movement position of the base station, and the obtained
movement position is used to correct the generated map. Referring
to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a map correction process is as follows: 1).
The base station 17 is fixed at a point A, and the mobile station
15 keeps a record and generates a map. 2). As shown in FIG. 15(a),
the user intends to move the base station 17 to another position B
for a reason. For example, the user needs to build a flower bed at
the point A. 3). As shown in FIG. 15(b), the mobile station 15 is
moved to the point B, and the mobile station 15 sends position
coordinates of the point B to the base station 17. 4). As shown in
FIG. 15(c), the base station 17 is moved to the position B, and the
base station 17 corrects its position. Meanwhile, the mobile
station 15 learns of an offset of the position of the base station
17, and corrects the map according to the offset. The corrected map
overlaps with the map before correction. Therefore, it is not
necessary to record a map again.
[0216] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station includes a path generation module generating a path plan
according to the map of the working region. First, the working
region is divided according to the boundary, an obstacle, a passage
or the like of the working region. With the division of the working
region, the autonomous lawn mower implements more efficient
coverage. For example, the working region is divided into two
sub-working regions connected through a passage. When performing
grass cutting work, the autonomous lawn mower first completes
coverage in one of the sub-working regions, and then enters the
other sub-working region through the passage to work. In this way,
the autonomous lawn mower is prevented from working inefficiently
for moving repeatedly between the two ends of the passage. In
another example, based on two parts separated by an obstacle in the
working region, the working region is divided into two sub-regions,
and the autonomous lawn mower is prevented from encountering an
obstacle frequently. According to the shape of the boundary, the
boundary may further be divided into different sub-regions based on
a part with a regular shape and a part with an irregular shape. In
this way, the autonomous lawn mower may cover a regular sub-region
by using a regular path and cover an irregular sub-region by using
a random path. In this embodiment, an overlapping part is provided
between adjacent sub-regions, to ensure coverage on the part
between the adjacent sub-regions. In this embodiment, the area of a
region in which the autonomous lawn mower can work one time is
estimated according to the capacity of a battery pack to determine
the size of a section. In this embodiment, the working region may
further be divided according to the growth of plants, so that the
autonomous lawn mower works at higher cutting power for a longer
cutting time in a region with dense plants and works at lower
cutting power for a shorter cutting time in a region with sparse
plants. In this embodiment, the working region may further be
divided according to the priorities of regions. For example, a
front yard and a back yard of a user are different sub-regions, so
that the autonomous lawn mower works in the front yard and the
backyard by using different working strategies. Certainly, the
working region may further be divided according to comprehensive
factors such as a quantity of obstacles.
[0217] After region division is completed, a path of the autonomous
lawn mower in each sub-region is planned. A preset path of the
autonomous lawn mower in each sub-region may be a regular path such
as parallel paths and a spiral path or may be a random path.
[0218] A sub-working region W shown in FIG. 17 includes a region S
with a poor GPS signal, and the region S is represented by a shaded
part. In this embodiment, the autonomous lawn mower is enabled to
move along parallel paths in the sub-working region W. During
generation of a path, parallel straight lines are drawn in the
sub-working region W, and each parallel straight line is a preset
path when the autonomous lawn mower is working. An interval between
the parallel straight lines should be less than a cutting width of
the autonomous lawn mower to ensure that cutting ranges of the
autonomous lawn mower moving along adjacent parallel straight lines
have an overlapping amount. When the autonomous lawn mower is
working, the autonomous lawn mower is enabled to start to move from
a region with strong a GPS signal. When moving to the boundary, the
autonomous lawn mower turns around to move in an opposite
direction. During working, if the autonomous lawn mower enters a
region S with a poor GPS signal, because a positioning signal has
low precision, the autonomous lawn mower cannot necessarily move
along an original path. In this case, the autonomous lawn mower is
allowed to move along a random path instead. In this embodiment,
when the autonomous lawn mower leaves the region S with a poor GPS
signal, the autonomous lawn mower is enabled to return to the
originally planned path to continue moving. Specifically, when the
autonomous lawn mower leaves the region S with a poor GPS signal,
the navigation module outputs new position coordinates. The
position coordinates are high precision position coordinates. In
this case, the autonomous lawn mower compares the position
coordinates with the originally planned path to find a closest
point C on the planned path, moves to the point, and continues to
move along the originally planned path. When finishing covering the
working region, the autonomous lawn mower is then enabled to return
to the shaded region to cover an uncovered region on the originally
planned path, to ensure that the region is completely covered.
[0219] In this embodiment, different paths may be planned in a same
sub-working region. A sub-working region D shown in FIG. 18
includes a building 51. It may be predicted that satellite signals
are poor in a region near the building 51 due to blockage by the
building, and the navigation module has low positioning precision.
If the autonomous lawn mower moves on a path parallel to an edge of
the building 51, when the autonomous lawn mower moves near the
building 51, the navigation module keeps outputting low precision
signals. As a result, the autonomous lawn mower may fail to move on
a planned path, or move with low efficiency. To avoid the foregoing
condition, a path in a region on an edge of the building 51 may be
planned to be a path perpendicular to the edge of the building 51.
In this way, the navigation module outputs a low precision signal
only when the autonomous lawn mower is near an edge of the building
51. When the autonomous lawn mower is far away from an edge of the
building 51, the navigation module outputs a high precision signal.
When the autonomous lawn mower is near an edge of the building 51,
satellite signals are poor, positioning errors of the inertial
navigation apparatus accumulate, and the positioning precision
gradually decreases. When the autonomous lawn mower is far away
from an edge of the building 51, satellite signals become strong
again and may be used to calibrate inertial navigation errors.
Therefore, with the movement on such a path, it can be ensured that
the navigation module outputs strong positioning signals most of
the time. In this embodiment, a path plan is automatically
generated by a path generation module, and certainly may be
alternatively adjusted by the user according to the condition of
the working region. Alternatively, the autonomous lawn mower may be
adjusted during movement in real time according to the precision of
a positioning signal. The case shown in FIG. 18 is used as an
example. During movement, the autonomous lawn mower may adjust in
real time directions of walking back and forth.
[0220] As shown in FIG. 19(a) and FIG. 19(b), in this embodiment,
when encountering an obstacle, the autonomous lawn mower may move
around the obstacle or may turn around. If the autonomous lawn
mower moves around an obstacle when encountering the obstacle, the
navigation module may be used to generate a vector image for moving
around the obstacle.
[0221] In this embodiment, during the movement, the autonomous lawn
mower can distinguish a moving obstacle from a fixed obstacle. The
fixed obstacle is an obstacle having a fixed position in the
working region, and is usually an obstacle recorded on the map. If
the autonomous lawn mower repeatedly encounters an obstacle at a
same position during movement but the obstacle is not recorded on
the map, the autonomous lawn mower may determine that the obstacle
is a newly found fixed obstacle. The moving obstacle is an obstacle
that appears at an indefinite position in the working region, and
is usually an obstacle that the autonomous lawn mower temporarily
encounters during movement and appears at a same position
occasionally. The moving obstacle may be a human, an animal or the
like that appears in the working region. The autonomous lawn mower
distinguishes a moving obstacle from a fixed obstacle according to
whether an obstacle is recorded on the map or according to a
frequency of encountering an obstacle at a same position, and uses
different obstacle avoidance strategies. The obstacle avoidance
strategies include moving around an obstacle, turning around, and
the like.
[0222] In this embodiment, the autonomous lawn mower adjusts a
movement range according to the condition of a positioning signal
during movement. When the autonomous lawn mower moves to a position
with poor positioning signals, the movement range is shrunk and the
autonomous lawn mower continues moving within a small range or the
autonomous lawn mower stops moving.
[0223] In this embodiment, the navigation module further includes a
gyroscope configured to control the autonomous lawn mower to move
along a straight line. When the autonomous lawn mower moves along a
preset path, a gyroscope and a GPS positioning signal are used in
combination to perform navigation. As shown in FIG. 20, a preset
path is divided into a plurality of segments. When the autonomous
lawn mower starts to move, a moving direction is determined. When
moving on each segment, the autonomous lawn mower uses the
gyroscope to perform navigation. The gyroscope is configured to
control the autonomous lawn mower to move along a straight line, to
prevent the moving direction of the autonomous lawn mower from
offsetting. After the autonomous lawn mower completes movement on a
segment of the path, a GPS positioning signal is used to calibrate
a moving direction. Specifically, the control module determines
whether the current position of the autonomous lawn mower is on the
preset path. If the current position of the autonomous lawn mower
is not on the preset path, the moving direction of the autonomous
lawn mower is adjusted to enable the autonomous lawn mower to
return to the preset path. When moving along a next segment of the
path, the autonomous lawn mower moves along a straight line again
in a calibrated direction by using the gyroscope. As the autonomous
lawn mower moves, if determining that a distance by which the
current position of the autonomous lawn mower offsets from the
preset path is greater than a preset value, the control module may
calibrate the moving direction of the autonomous lawn mower in real
time, or may redraw segments.
[0224] As shown in FIG. 21(b), in this embodiment, the autonomous
lawn mower moves along parallel paths. When reaching the boundary,
the autonomous lawn mower steers to move in an opposite direction.
When steering, the autonomous lawn mower covers a plurality of
points F and G between adjacent parallel paths, to ensure complete
coverage, thereby avoiding a problem that a region near the
boundary is not covered due to steering by a right angle (referring
to FIG. 21(a)).
[0225] In this embodiment, as the autonomous lawn mower moves, if
an exception occurs in communication between the base station and
the mobile station, for example, communication is interrupted or a
GPS signal is poor and as a result the navigation module keeps
outputting low precision positioning signals, the autonomous lawn
mower is controlled to adjust a movement manner. When the
autonomous lawn mower adjusts the movement manner, the autonomous
lawn mower is switched between working states. For example, the
autonomous lawn mower is switched to a random walking mode, or
returns to the charging station, or enters a search mode to search
for strong satellite signals. Alternatively, when the autonomous
lawn mower adjusts the movement manner, the autonomous lawn mower
enables the task execution module to stop working, reverse, steer,
stop or perform another operation.
[0226] In this embodiment, a path generation module is further
configured to generate a return path. The working region shown in
FIG. 22 is used as an example, and currently the charging station 2
is located inside the working region. When the autonomous lawn
mower 1 needs to return to the charging station 2, a path
generation module computes a shortest path from the autonomous lawn
mower 1 to the charging station 2 according to the current position
information of the autonomous lawn mower 1 and the map information
and generates a return path 53. The control module controls the
autonomous lawn mower 1 to move along the return path 53 to return
to the charging station 2. The computation of the shortest path is
related to the position of the charging station 2, and is further
related to obstacle distribution in the working region and whether
there is a passage between the autonomous lawn mower 1 and the
charging station 2. The autonomous lawn mower 1 passes through the
fewest raster cells when moving along the shortest path. In this
embodiment, the control module records the return path of the
autonomous lawn mower 1. When the autonomous lawn mower 1 starts to
return again, the control module compares a newly generated return
path with a previous return path or several previous return paths
to determine whether an overlapping part exists between the newly
generated return path and the previous return path or the several
previous return paths. If an overlapping part exists, the return
path is modified to avoid an overlap of a return path. For example,
a part of the return path is offset by a distance. By using the
foregoing method, if the autonomous lawn mower 1 needs to pass
through a passage when returning to the charging station 2, an
overlap of a part of path from the passage to the charging station
2 can be effectively avoided, thereby preventing the autonomous
lawn mower 1 from repeatedly returning along a same segment of the
path to crush the lawn.
[0227] In an eighth embodiment of the present invention, a method
for generating a return path by the path generation module is
different from the method in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG.
23, after the map generation module generates the map, a path
generation module sets several return paths 53 according to the
generated map. When needing to return to the charging station 2,
the autonomous lawn mower 1 moves to one of the return paths 53.
Specifically, the control module determines shortest distances from
the autonomous lawn mower 1 to the several return paths 53, selects
a closest return path 53, and controls the autonomous lawn mower 1
to move to the latest return path 53 along a path with the shortest
distance and return to the charging station 2 along the return path
53. Certainly, the autonomous lawn mower 1 may alternatively move
to the latest return path 53 randomly. Alternatively, when needing
to return to the charging station 2, the autonomous lawn mower 1
moves randomly, and when the control module determines that the
autonomous lawn mower 1 is located on one of the return paths 53,
the autonomous lawn mower 1 is controlled to return to the charging
station 2 along the return path 53. By using the foregoing method,
the autonomous lawn mower 1 can be prevented from returning along a
same path to crush the lawn. It may be understood that a return
path may be alternatively recorded by the user during map
recording. Specifically, the user holds the mobile station and
moves from different positions in the working region to the
charging station, and positions covered by the movement are
recorded to form the return path.
[0228] In a ninth embodiment of the present invention, a method for
generating a return path by the path generation module is different
from the method in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 24, when
needing to return to the charging station 2, the autonomous lawn
mower 1 first moves to the boundary 200, moves to the position of
the charging station 2 along the boundary 200, and then moves to
the charging station 2. Specifically, the path generation module
determines a point, on the boundary 200, having the shortest
distance from the autonomous lawn mower 1 according to the current
position of the autonomous lawn mower 1 and the position of the
boundary 200, connects the current position of the autonomous lawn
mower 1 and the point to form a first segment of the path,
computes, according to the position of the point and the position
of the charging station 2, the shortest path for the autonomous
lawn mower 1 to move from the point along the boundary 200 and then
move from the boundary 200 to a position right in front of the
charging station 2, generates a second segment of the path
according to the computed shortest path, and joins the first
segment of the path and the second segment of the path to generate
the return path 53. In this embodiment, when the charging station 2
is located on the boundary 200, the autonomous lawn mower 1 can
directly move to the position right in front of the charging
station 2 along the boundary 200. When the charging station 2 is
not located on the boundary 200, the autonomous lawn mower 1 moves
near the charging station 2 along the boundary 200 and then moves
to the position right in front of the charging station 2. In this
embodiment, the autonomous lawn mower 1 moves along the boundary
200 on a different path each time. Specifically, the autonomous
lawn mower 1 moves along the boundary 200 at a variable distance
from the boundary 200. That is, during each return, the autonomous
lawn mower 1 moves along the boundary 200 at a different distance
from the boundary 200. In this way, the autonomous lawn mower 1 can
be prevented from returning along the boundary 200 at a fixed
distance to crush the lawn.
[0229] In the first embodiment of the present invention, after the
autonomous lawn mower 1 moves to the position right in front of the
charging station 2, for example, at about 1 m in front, a docking
process is started. Because a docking angle, a tilt angle, and the
like are recorded during map recording, the autonomous lawn mower 1
may be docked in a constant direction based on the information, so
that a docking error is mitigated.
[0230] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the
autonomous lawn mower may further automatically determine a work
schedule according to properties such as an area and a shape of the
map. The work schedule includes a work time for each sub-region, a
work order for the sub-regions, a quantity of times of covering
each sub-region, and the like.
[0231] In this embodiment, a GPS clock may be used to replace a
clock chip.
[0232] In this embodiment, the navigation module and the
environment detection sensor are combined to address safety issues.
The environment detection sensor includes a step sensor, a lawn
sensor, an optical sensor, a camera, a radar, an ultrasound sensor,
a collision detection sensor, and the like. When the environment
detection sensor detects an abnormal environment, the navigation
module is used to record the current position and a corresponding
exception on the map. When the autonomous lawn mower moves to the
position, the movement manner of the autonomous lawn mower is
adjusted to avoid a safety accident.
[0233] In this embodiment, the map and the path are respectively
generated by the map generation module and the path generation
module of the mobile station. It may be understood that in another
embodiment, the control module of the autonomous lawn mower
acquires position coordinates recorded by the mobile station, and
the control module may generate the map and the path.
[0234] In a tenth embodiment of the present invention, the charging
station is a wireless charging station. The autonomous lawn mower
can approach the charging station in any direction to perform
docking. Therefore, according to the current position of the
autonomous lawn mower and the position of the charging station, the
GPS navigation guide can conveniently guide the autonomous lawn
mower to return to charging station and to be docked to the
charging station.
[0235] The present invention is not limited to the discussed
specific embodiments. All structures and methods based on the
concept of the present invention fall within the protection scope
of the present invention.
[0236] Persons of ordinary skill in the art may further appreciate
that, in combination with the examples described in the embodiments
herein, units and algorithm steps can be implemented by electronic
hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic
hardware. Whether these functions are performed using hardware or
software depends on particular applications and design constraints
of the technical solutions. A person skilled in the art may use
different methods to implement the described functions for each
specific application. However, such implementation should not be
considered as beyond the scope of the present invention.
[0237] Persons skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for
convenience and simplicity of description, for the specific work
process of the systems, devices, and units described above, refer
to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method
embodiments, which are not described herein again.
[0238] In the embodiments provided by the present application, it
should be understood that the systems, devices, and methods
disclosed may be implemented in other forms. For example, the
device embodiments described above are merely exemplary. For
example, the division of units is merely logical functional
division, and there are other division forms in real application.
For example, multiple units or components may be combined or be
integrated to another system, or some features may be ignored or
not be executed. In another aspect, the coupling, direct coupling,
or a communication connection there between which is displayed or
discussed may be indirect coupling or a communication connection of
interfaces, devices, or units, and may be electrical, mechanical,
or in other forms.
[0239] Units described as separate components may be or may not be
physically separated. Components shown as units may be or may not
be physical units, that is, may be integrated or distributed to a
plurality of network units. Some or all of the modules may be
selected to achieve the objective of the solution of the embodiment
according to actual requirements.
[0240] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the
present invention may either be integrated in a processing unit, or
each be a separate physical unit; alternatively, two or more of the
units are integrated in one unit.
[0241] If implemented in the form of software functional units and
sold or used as an independent product, the functions may also be
stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this, the
above technical solution or the part that makes contributions to
the prior art can be substantially embodied in the form of a
software product. The computer software product may be stored in
the storage medium and contain several instructions to instruct
computer equipment (for example, a personal computer, a server, or
network equipment) to perform all or a part of the steps of the
method described in the embodiments of the present invention. The
storage medium may be any medium that is capable of storing program
code, such as a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, a read-only
memory (ROM), a RAM (RAM, Random Access Memory), a magnetic disk or
an optical disk.
[0242] The above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of
the present invention, but not intended to limit the scope of the
present invention. Any variations or replacement that can be easily
derived by those skilled in the art should fall within the scope of
the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the
present invention is subject to the appended claims.
[0243] In view of the problem in the prior art that after a base
station moves, position coordinates output by a mobile station have
an offset, and a map of the working region needs to be regenerated,
resulting in relatively complex steps, in this embodiment of the
present invention, before an absolute position of the base station
changes, the mobile station acquires a first relative position with
respect to the base station. Next, before and after the absolute
position of the base station changes, the mobile station is kept at
a same absolute position, and after the absolute position of the
base station changes, the mobile station acquires a second relative
position with respect to the base station, so that the mobile
station may update the map of the working region of the mobile
station according to the first relative position and the second
relative position, or, instruct the base station to update a stored
absolute position of the base station, where points on the map are
used to indicate relative positions with respect to the base
station. Accordingly, the mobile station does not need to repeat a
process of moving along a boundary of the working region to
generate the map when a position of the base station changes, Next,
a correction value is used to correct the map of the working
region, so that it is not necessary to regenerate a map, and
operation steps are simplified.
[0244] The position information processing method based on a
differential positioning technology in this embodiment of the
present invention and the mobile station are described below with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0245] FIG. 25 is a schematic flowchart of a first position
information processing method based on a differential positioning
technology according to an embodiment of the present invention. The
position information processing method based on a differential
positioning technology is applicable to a navigation module. The
navigation module includes a base station and a mobile station for
resolving a relative position with respect to the base station
according to differential information sent by the base station.
[0246] In this embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station and the base station may both receive a satellite signal.
The base station may send a positioning correction signal to the
mobile station, to implement differential satellite positioning.
For example, the base station and the mobile station may receive a
GPS signal to implement DGPS positioning, or, the base station and
the mobile station may alternatively receive a Galileo satellite
navigation system signal, a Beidou satellite navigation system
signal, a GLONASS signal or the like. This is not limited in this
embodiment of the present invention.
[0247] It should be noted that the DGPS technology includes an RTK
technology, that is, a carrier-phase differential technology and a
CORS technology.
[0248] In this embodiment of the present invention, for example,
the base station and the mobile station receive a GPS signal.
Specifically, both the base station and the mobile station may
include a GPS antenna. The base station and the mobile station may
receive a GPS signal by using the GPS antenna.
[0249] As shown in FIG. 25, the position information processing
method based on a differential positioning technology includes the
following steps.
[0250] S101: Before an absolute position of the base station
changes, the mobile station acquires a first relative position with
respect to the base station.
[0251] The absolute position is an absolute position with respect
to the Earth.
[0252] In this embodiment of the present invention, the base
station and the mobile station may separately include a
communications module. The base station and the mobile station may
communicate with each other by using the communications modules.
The communications module may include a radio station and a radio
station antenna. Further, to ensure reliable long-distance
transmission between the base station and the mobile station, the
communications module may further include a Sub-1G module, a Wi-Fi
module, and a 2G/3G/4G/5G module. This is not limited.
[0253] Optionally, after receiving a GPS signal by using the GPS
antenna, the base station may send the differential information to
the mobile station by using the communications module of the base
station. Correspondingly, the mobile station may receive the
differential information of the base station by using the
communications module corresponding to the base station. Meanwhile,
the mobile station may receive the GPS signal by using the GPS
antenna. Next, the mobile station may resolve relative position
coordinates of the mobile station with respect to the base station
according to the differential information sent by the base station.
The relative position coordinates are referred to as the first
relative position in this embodiment of the present invention. The
first relative position may include information such as longitude,
latitude, and altitude.
[0254] In this embodiment of the present invention, before working,
the mobile station needs to generate a map of a working region.
[0255] In a first possible implementation of this embodiment of the
present invention, a user may hold the mobile station and walk to
record the map. The recording the map includes the following steps:
The user may start to walk along a boundary of the working region
from a starting point, for example, the position of the charging
station, and the mobile station may record position coordinates of
the boundary; the user walks along an obstacle in the working
region, and the mobile station may record position coordinates of
an obstacle; the user walks along a traffic island in the working
region, and the mobile station may record position coordinates of
the traffic island; and the user walks along a passage connecting
sub-working regions of the working region, and the mobile station
may record position coordinates of the passage.
[0256] In a second possible implementation of this embodiment of
the present invention, the mobile station may be installed on the
self-moving device. For example, the mobile station may be
detachably connected to the housing of the self-moving device, so
that the mobile station may move synchronously with the self-moving
device. The self-moving device may be an unattended device such as
an autonomous lawn mower, an automatic cleaning device, an
automatic irrigation device, and an automatic snowplow. To record
the map, the mobile station may be installed on the self-moving
device. The user may use an autonomous terminal such as a mobile
phone and a tablet device to remotely control the self-moving
device to move, so that the mobile station may record coordinates
of the position points. Similarly, the step of recording the map
includes recording a boundary of the working region, an obstacle in
the working region, a passage connecting sub-regions or the
like.
[0257] In a third possible implementation of this embodiment of the
present invention, the self-moving device may include a pushing rod
detachably installed at the housing of the self-moving device. To
record the map, the mobile station is installed on the self-moving
device. The pushing rod is installed at the housing of the
self-moving device, and the user operates the pushing rod to push
the self-moving device to move, so that the mobile station may
record a boundary of the working region, an obstacle, a passage or
the like.
[0258] In a fourth possible implementation of this embodiment of
the present invention, the self-moving device may include an
ultrasonic apparatus, so that the self-moving device may follow the
user at a distance. To record the map, the mobile station is
installed on the self-moving device, the user walks along a
boundary of the working region, an obstacle, a passage or the like,
and then the self-moving device may follow the user, so that the
mobile station may record the map.
[0259] In a fifth possible implementation of this embodiment of the
present invention, to record the map, the mobile station is
separated from the self-moving device, and the mobile station is
placed on a pushable cart. For example, the mobile station may be
installed on a hand-propelled device, and the user pushes a cart
and walks, so that the mobile station may record a boundary of the
working region, an obstacle, a passage or the like.
[0260] In this embodiment of the present invention, a preset
coordinate system, for example, a Cartesian coordinate system XY,
may be established to generate the map. Specifically, the first
point from which recording is started is used as the origin (0, 0)
of the coordinate axes. For example, the position of the charging
station may be used as the origin (0, 0) of the coordinate axes.
The position coordinates that correspond to the origin and are
output by the mobile station are (x.sub.0, y.sub.0). As the user
records the map, the mobile station outputs position coordinates
(x.sub.1, y.sub.1), and converts the position coordinates (x.sub.1,
y.sub.1) into (x.sub.1-x.sub.0, y.sub.1-y.sub.0) when generating
the map, so as to convert a satellite positioning coordinate system
into the Cartesian coordinate system.
[0261] It should be noted that, on the map of the working region
generated by the mobile station, absolute coordinates, that is, the
latitude and longitude, of position points with respect to the
Earth may be recorded, or, coordinates in the coordinate system XY
may be recorded. This is not limited.
[0262] S102: Before and after the absolute position of the base
station changes, keep the mobile station at a same absolute
position.
[0263] In this embodiment of the present invention, GPS positioning
is implemented based on that the base station is fixed at a
position. During actual application, the user may change the
position of the base station as required. For example, referring to
FIG. 26a, it is assumed that the base station is located at a point
A before the absolute position of the base station changes. When
the user intends to build a flower bed at the point A, in this
case, the user may move the base station to another idle position.
For example, referring to FIG. 26b, the user may move the base
station to the point B. Position coordinates output by the mobile
station have an offset when the absolute position of the base
station changes. In this case, the mobile station needs to record a
map again. To avoid the trouble of recording a map again by the
mobile station after the base station is moved, in this embodiment
of the present invention, the mobile station may be kept at the
same absolute position. Next, the mobile station is used to acquire
a movement position of the base station, and the obtained movement
position is further used to correct the generated map.
[0264] S103: After the absolute position of the base station
changes, the mobile station acquires a second relative position
with respect to the base station.
[0265] In this embodiment of the present invention, after the
absolute position of the base station changes, for example, the
base station is moved to the point B, the base station may receive
a GPS signal at the point B by using the GPS antenna. Next, the
base station may send differential information to the mobile
station by using the communications module of the base station.
Correspondingly, the mobile station may receive the differential
information of the moved base station by using the communications
module corresponding to the base station. Meanwhile, the mobile
station may receive the GPS signal by using the GPS antenna. Next,
the mobile station may resolve relative position coordinates of the
mobile station with respect to the base station after movement
according to the differential information sent by the base station.
The relative position coordinates are referred to as the second
relative position in this embodiment of the present invention. The
second relative position may similarly include information such as
longitude, latitude, and altitude.
[0266] S104: Update the map of the working region of the mobile
station according to the first relative position and the second
relative position, or, instruct the base station to update a stored
absolute position of the base station, where points on the map are
used to indicate relative positions with respect to the base
station.
[0267] In a possible implementation, in this embodiment of the
present invention, first correction information used to indicate a
displacement amount of the base station may be generated according
to the first relative position and the second relative position.
Specifically, the first correction information {right arrow over
(r)} may be generated according to relative position coordinates
(x.sub.1, y.sub.1) of the first relative position in a preset
coordinate system, for example, the Cartesian coordinate system XY
and relative position coordinates (x.sub.2, y.sub.2) of the second
relative position in the coordinate system XY, and the first
correction information {right arrow over (r)} is:
{right arrow over (r)}=(x.sub.1-x.sub.2){right arrow over
(i)}+(y.sub.1-y.sub.2){right arrow over (j)} (1)
[0268] After generating the first correction information r, the
mobile station may send the first correction information {right
arrow over (r)} to the base station, so that the base station
determines the updated absolute position of the base station
according to the absolute position of the base station before
movement and the first correction information {right arrow over
(r)}. Specifically, vector addition may be performed on the
absolute position of the base station before movement and the first
correction information {right arrow over (r)} to obtain the updated
absolute position of the base station. In this way, the base
station may generate the differential information according to the
updated absolute position of the base station. Further, the mobile
station may resolve the relative position of the moved base station
according to the differential information sent by the moved base
station, and update the position of the base station on the
map.
[0269] In another possible implementation, in this embodiment of
the present invention, second correction information used to
indicate a relative position change amount of the mobile station
with respect to the base station may be generated according to the
first relative position and the second relative position.
Specifically, the second correction information (-{right arrow over
(r)}) may be generated according to relative position coordinates
(x.sub.1, y.sub.1) of the first relative position in the preset
coordinate system, for example, the Cartesian coordinate system XY
and relative position coordinates (x.sub.2, y.sub.2) of the second
relative position in the coordinate system XY, so that the second
correction information (-{right arrow over (r)}) is:
-{right arrow over (r)}=(x.sub.2-x.sub.1){right arrow over
(i)}+(y.sub.2-y.sub.1){right arrow over (j)} (2).
[0270] After generating the second correction information (-{right
arrow over (r)}), the mobile station may update a working map
according to the second correction information. Specifically,
vector addition may be performed on a position vector of each point
on the map before update in the coordinate system XY and the second
correction information (-{right arrow over (r)}) to obtain an
updated position vector of each point on the map, so as to obtain
the updated map.
[0271] In this embodiment, the used DGPS technology is an RTK
technology, that is, a carrier-phase differential technology, and
the mobile station performs computation by using a carrier-phase
algorithm.
[0272] In the position information processing method based on a
differential positioning technology in this embodiment, before an
absolute position of a base station changes, a mobile station
acquires a first relative position with respect to the base
station. Next, before and after the absolute position of the base
station changes, the mobile station is kept at a same absolute
position, and after the absolute position of the base station
changes, the mobile station acquires a second relative position
with respect to the base station, so that the mobile station may
update a map of a working region of the mobile station according to
the first relative position and the second relative position, or,
instruct the base station to update a stored absolute position of
the base station, where points on the map are used to indicate
relative positions with respect to the base station. Accordingly,
the mobile station does not need to repeat a process of moving
along a boundary of the working region to generate the map when a
position of the base station changes, so that operation steps are
simplified.
[0273] To clearly describe this embodiment, an operation process in
a case in which a base station is moved is described below from the
perspective of use of a user. The operation process includes:
[0274] 1) The base station is fixed at a point A shown in FIG. 26a.
The base station is powered, to enable the base station to send a
differential signal to the mobile station.
[0275] 2) The mobile station is started to enable the mobile
station to load a map of a working region and acquire a precise
relative position of the mobile station according to the
differential signal. In some application scenarios, the mobile
station or a self-moving device installed with the mobile station
has a display screen, so that the relative position of the mobile
station may further be displayed on the map of the working region.
Alternatively, in some other application scenarios, neither the
mobile station nor the self-moving device installed with the mobile
station has a display screen, and the relative position of the
mobile station and the map of the working region may further be
sent to a specific terminal device to enable the terminal device to
display the relative position of the mobile station on the map of
the working region.
[0276] 3) The self-moving device installed with the mobile station
is controlled to move and work inside the working region. For
example, if the self-moving device is a lawn mower, the lawn mower
may be controlled to move and cut grass inside the working region.
During drawing of the map of the working region, a virtual boundary
for avoiding an obstacle is drawn, and the mobile station can
acquire the relative position of the mobile station with respect to
the base station. Therefore, during working, the self-moving device
can be navigated inside the virtual boundary according to the
relative position of the mobile station, so as to avoid the
obstacle.
[0277] 4) The base station is moved from the point A shown in FIG.
26a to a fixed point B shown in FIG. 26b. The base station is
powered to enable the base station to send a differential signal to
the mobile station. As the base station moves from the point A to
the point B, an absolute position of the mobile station is kept the
same, that is, the mobile station is not moved.
[0278] For example, if the self-moving device is in a working state
of moving inside the working region before the base station is
moved from the point A to the point B, the self-moving device is
controlled to pause or finish working, and after the self-moving
device is kept still, the base station is moved from the point A to
the point B.
[0279] 5) If the mobile station is kept at the same absolute
position, the map of the working region of the mobile station is
updated.
[0280] In some scenarios, the mobile station has a virtual button
or a mechanical button configured to update the map. The user may
click the virtual button or mechanical button configured to update
the map to enable the mobile station to update the map.
[0281] It should be noted that as an alternative solution for
updating the map, in some other scenarios, the mobile station has a
virtual button or mechanical button configured to instruct the base
station to update a stored absolute position of the base station.
The user may click the virtual button or mechanical button to
enable the mobile station to instruct the base station to update
the stored absolute position of the base station.
[0282] 6) After the mobile station finishes updating the map, the
self-moving device installed with the mobile station is controlled
to start again to move and work inside the working region.
[0283] It may be seen that in the foregoing operation process, the
user does not need to operate the mobile station to enable the
mobile station to move along the boundary of the working region to
generate the map, so the operation steps of the user are
simplified, thereby resolving a technical problem in the prior art
that after the base station moves, position coordinates output by
the mobile station have an offset, and the map of the working
region needs to be regenerated, resulting in relatively complex
steps.
[0284] To avoid unnecessary update of the map and the absolute
position of the base station, in this embodiment of the present
invention, if the mobile station is kept at the same absolute
position, when the mobile station resolves, according to the
differential information sent by the base station, that a relative
position change amount with respect to the base station is greater
than a first offset threshold, and/or, the base station determines,
according to the acquired GPS signal, that an absolute position
change amount is greater than a second offset threshold, it may be
determined that the base station is in an abnormal state. The
abnormal state herein is specifically an absolute position
change.
[0285] The step of updating the map of the working region of the
mobile station is or updating the absolute position of the base
station is only performed if the mobile station determines that the
base station is in an abnormal state.
[0286] The first offset threshold may be preset in a built-in
program of the mobile station, or, the first offset threshold may
be set by the user. The second offset threshold may be preset by a
built-in program in the base station, or, the second offset
threshold may be set by the user. This is not limited. It should be
understood that when the user moves the base station as required,
the movement distance is limited. Therefore, the first offset
threshold and the second offset threshold should not be set
excessively large.
[0287] Specifically, it may be necessary to move the base station
in several scenarios in the following:
[0288] Scenario 1
[0289] The user needs to move the base station. For example, the
user needs to build a flower bed at the point A shown in FIG. 26a,
so that the base station needs to be moved from the point A to
another position, for example, the point B shown in FIG. 26b.
[0290] After the user moves the base station, if the mobile station
resolves, according to the differential information sent by the
base station, that a relative position change amount with respect
to the base station is greater than the first offset threshold,
and/or, the base station determines, according to the acquired GPS
signal, that an absolute position change amount is greater than the
second offset threshold, it may be determined that the base station
is in an abnormal state in which the absolute position is
changed.
[0291] Specifically, in a possible implementation, when a position
vector of each point on the map of the working region of the mobile
station in a coordinate system XY has an offset greater than the
first offset threshold, it may be determined that the base station
is in an abnormal state in which the absolute position is
changed.
[0292] In another possible implementation, alternatively, if the
base station performs comparison with historical coordinates to
determine that the absolute position change amount is greater than
the second offset threshold, it may be determined that the base
station is in an abnormal state in which the absolute position is
changed.
[0293] Scenario 2
[0294] The base station is in an abnormal state under the effect of
an external force.
[0295] For example, the base station is blocked, and when the base
station performs comparison with historical coordinates to
determine that positioning precision decreases, it indicates that
the base station may be blocked, and it may be determined that the
base station is in an abnormal state of blockage.
[0296] In another example, if the base station performs comparison
with historical coordinates to determine that the absolute position
change amount is greater than the second offset threshold, it may
be determined that the base station is in an abnormal state in
which the absolute position is changed.
[0297] Optionally, when the base station is in an abnormal state,
the base station may send prompt information or a local alarm to
the user or the self-moving device by using the communications
module and wait for the user to perform an operation for recovering
the base station. The operation is, for example, updating the map,
moving or replacing the base station, or the like.
[0298] It should be noted that the foregoing alarm process may be
skipped for the abnormal state caused by an operation of the
user.
[0299] Scenario 3
[0300] If a base station is replaced, switching needs to be
performed between base stations. Switching is performed from a
source base station at the point A to a target base station at the
point B.
[0301] Specifically, the base stations include the source base
station located at an absolute position of the base station before
a change occurs and is the target base station located at the
absolute position of the base station after the change occurs. When
the target base station needs to be used to replace the source base
station, the mobile station needs to be kept still, and the map is
updated after the replacement is completed. To clearly describe
this process, FIG. 27 provides a specific implementation
process.
[0302] Referring to FIG. 27, based on the embodiment shown in FIG.
25, before S104, the position information processing method based
on a differential positioning technology may further include the
following steps:
[0303] S201: Interrupt a communication connection between the
source base station and the mobile station.
[0304] In this embodiment of the present invention, when an
absolute position of a source base station changes, position
coordinates output by the mobile station have an offset. In this
case, the communication connection between the base station and the
mobile station may be interrupted.
[0305] Optionally, the automatic working system may include a
plurality of base stations, or, base stations of different
automatic working systems located within a region may be shared.
After the communication connection between the source base station
and the mobile station is interrupted, the mobile station may be
automatically switched to another base station to perform
communication.
[0306] S202: Perform a pairing process with the target base
station.
[0307] Optionally, after the position of the target base station is
fixed, the mobile station may perform a pairing process with the
target base station again, and the mobile station may then acquire
a second relative position with respect to the base station.
[0308] In another embodiment, when it is necessary to change the
base station, the position of the base station may be kept
unchanged, and the mobile station is similarly kept still. A
process of interruption and pairing is used to complete changing
the base station.
[0309] In this embodiment of the present invention, when a mobile
station is installed on a self-moving device and moves
synchronously with the self-moving device, after a working map of
the mobile station is updated, the mobile station may resolve a
relative position with respect to a base station according to
differential information sent by the base station. Next, the mobile
terminal may navigate the self-moving device according to a working
region defined by the map, so as to provide efficient and reliable
navigation data to the automatic mobile device, thereby improving
precision of navigation.
[0310] To implement the foregoing embodiments, the present
invention further provides a mobile station applicable to a
navigation module.
[0311] FIG. 28 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module according to an
embodiment of the present invention. A navigation module is based
on a differential positioning technology, and includes a base
station and the mobile station for resolving a relative position
with respect to the base station according to differential
information sent by the base station.
[0312] As shown in FIG. 28, the mobile station includes a
resolution module 410, a control module 420, and an update module
430.
[0313] The resolution module 410 is configured to: before an
absolute position of the base station changes, acquire a first
relative position with respect to the base station; and after the
absolute position of the base station changes, acquire a second
relative position with respect to the base station.
[0314] The control module 420 is configured to: before and after
the absolute position of the base station changes, keep the mobile
station at a same absolute position.
[0315] The update module 430 is configured to: update a map of a
working region of the mobile station according to the first
relative position and the second relative position, or, instruct
the base station to update a stored absolute position of the base
station, where points on the map are used to indicate relative
positions with respect to the base station.
[0316] In this embodiment of the present invention, the update
module 430 is specifically configured to: generate, according to
the first relative position and the second relative position, first
correction information used to indicate a displacement amount of
the base station; send the first correction information to the base
station, to enable the base station to determine the updated
absolute position of the base station according to the absolute
position of the base station before movement and the first
correction information, and generate the differential information
according to the updated absolute position of the base station.
[0317] In a possible implementation, the update module 430 is
specifically configured to generate the first correction
information {right arrow over (r)} according to relative position
coordinates (x.sub.1, y.sub.1) of the first relative position in a
preset coordinate system XY and relative position coordinates
(x.sub.2, y.sub.2) of the second relative position in the
coordinate system XY, where {right arrow over
(r)}=(x.sub.1-x.sub.2){right arrow over
(i)}+(y.sub.1-y.sub.2){right arrow over (j)}.
[0318] In this embodiment of the present invention, the update
module 430 is further configured to: generate, according to the
first relative position and the second relative position, second
correction information used to indicate a relative position change
amount of the mobile station with respect to the base station; and
update a working map according to the second correction
information.
[0319] Optionally, the update module 430 is specifically configured
to: generate the second correction information (-{right arrow over
(r)}) according to coordinates (x.sub.1, y.sub.1) of the first
relative position in the coordinate system XY and coordinates
(x.sub.2, y.sub.2) of the second relative) position in the
coordinate system XY, where -{right arrow over
(r)}=(x.sub.2-x.sub.1){right arrow over
(i)}+(y.sub.2-y.sub.1){right arrow over (j)}; and perform vector
addition on a position vector of each point on the map before
update in the coordinate system XY and the second correction
information (-{right arrow over (r)}), to obtain an updated
position vector of each point on the map, so as to obtain an
updated map.
[0320] Further, in a possible implementation of this embodiment of
the present invention, referring to FIG. 29, based on the
embodiment shown in FIG. 28, the mobile station applicable to a
navigation module may further include a determining module 440, an
interruption and pairing module 450, and a processing module
460.
[0321] The determining module 440 is configured to: before the
working map of the mobile station is updated or the base station is
instructed to update the absolute position, if the mobile station
is kept at a fixed absolute position, when the mobile station
resolves, according to the differential information sent by the
base station, that a relative position change amount with respect
to the base station is greater than the first offset threshold,
and/or, the base station determines, according to the acquired GPS
signal, that an absolute position change amount is greater than the
second offset threshold, determine that the base station is in an
abnormal state, where the abnormal state includes an absolute
position change.
[0322] In this embodiment of the present invention, the base
stations include a source base station located at the absolute
position of the base station before the change occurs, and a target
base station located at the absolute position of the base station
after the change occurs.
[0323] The interruption and pairing module 450 is configured to:
interrupt a communication connection between the source base
station and the mobile station; and perform a pairing process with
the target base station.
[0324] In this embodiment of the present invention, the mobile
station is installed on the self-moving device and moves
synchronously with the self-moving device.
[0325] The processing module 460 is configured to: after a relative
position with respect to the base station is resolved according to
the differential information sent by the base station, navigate the
self-moving device according to the working region defined by the
map.
[0326] It should be noted that the foregoing description of the
embodiments of a position information processing method based on a
carrier-phase differential technology is also applicable to the
mobile station applicable to a navigation module in this
embodiment. Details are not described herein again.
[0327] For the mobile station applicable to a navigation module in
this embodiment, before an absolute position of a base station
changes, a mobile station acquires a first relative position with
respect to the base station. Next, before and after the absolute
position of the base station changes, the mobile station is kept at
a same absolute position, and after the absolute position of the
base station changes, the mobile station acquires a second relative
position with respect to the base station, so that the mobile
station may update a map of a working region of the mobile station
according to the first relative position and the second relative
position, or, instruct the base station to update a stored absolute
position of the base station, where points on the map are used to
indicate relative positions with respect to the base station.
Accordingly, the mobile station does not need to repeat a process
of moving along a boundary of the working region to generate the
map when a position of the base station changes, so that operation
steps are simplified.
[0328] To implement the foregoing embodiments, the present
invention further provides a mobile station applicable to a
navigation module.
[0329] FIG. 30 is a schematic structural diagram of a mobile
station applicable to a navigation module according to an
embodiment of the present invention. A navigation module is based
on a differential positioning technology, and includes a base
station and the mobile station for resolving a relative position
with respect to the base station according to differential
information sent by the base station.
[0330] As shown in FIG. 30, the mobile station applicable to a
navigation module includes: a memory 601, a processor 602, and a
computer program that is stored in the memory 601 and may run on
the processor 602, where when executing the program, the processor
602 performs the position information processing method based on a
carrier-phase differential technology provided in the foregoing
embodiments of the present invention.
[0331] To implement the foregoing embodiments, the embodiments of
the present invention further provide a computer readable storage
medium, storing a computer program, where when being executed by
the processor, the program implements the position information
processing method based on a differential positioning technology
provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention.
[0332] To implement the foregoing embodiments, the embodiments of
the present invention further provide a computer program product,
where when being executed by a processor, an instruction in the
computer program product performs the position information
processing method based on a differential positioning technology
provided in the foregoing embodiments of the present invention.
[0333] In the description of this specification, the description of
reference terms such as "an embodiment", "some embodiments", "an
example", "specific example", and "some examples" means that
specific features, structures, materials or characteristics that
are described with reference to the embodiments or examples are
included in at least one embodiment or example of the present
invention. In this specification, the schematic description of the
foregoing terms is not required to involve a same embodiment or
example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures,
materials or characteristics may be appropriately combined in any
one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, without causing
any contradiction, a person skilled in the art may combine
different embodiments or examples and features in different
embodiments or examples described in this specification.
[0334] In addition, the terms such as "first" and "second" are used
only for the purpose of description, and should not be understood
as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly
specifying the number of the indicated technical features.
Therefore, when features are defined by "first" and "second", at
least one such feature can be explicitly or implicitly included. In
the description of the embodiments of the present invention, unless
otherwise particularly defined, "a plurality of" means at least
two, for example, two or three.
[0335] The description of any process or method in the flowcharts
or described herein in other manners may be understood as
representing a module, a segment or a part that includes one or
more codes of executable instructions used to implement the steps
of a customized logic function or process, and the scope of some
implementations of the present invention include other
implementations. The functions may be executed in a basically
simultaneous manner or an opposite order according to the related
functions instead of the shown or described order. This should be
understood by a person skilled in the art of the embodiments of the
present invention.
[0336] The logic and/or steps represented in the flowcharts or
described herein in other manners may be, for example, regarded as
a sequenced list of executable instructions for implementing logic
functions, and may be specifically implemented in any computer
readable medium for use by instruction execution systems,
apparatuses or devices (for example, a computer-based system, a
system including a processor or another system that may take an
instruction from the instruction execution systems, apparatuses or
devices and execute the instruction), or for use in combination
with these instruction execution systems, apparatuses or devices.
As for this specification, "the computer readable medium" may be
any apparatus that may include, store, communicate, propagate or
transmit a program for use by instruction execution systems,
apparatuses or devices or for use in combination with these
instruction execution systems, apparatuses or devices. A more
specific example (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer readable
medium includes the following: an electrically connected portion
(electronic apparatus) with one or more wires, a portable computer
cassette (magnetic apparatus), a random-access memory (RAM), a ROM,
an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM or flash-drive memory), a fiber
apparatus, and a compact disc ROM (CDROM). In addition, the
computer readable medium may even be paper or another suitable
medium on which the program may be printed, because, for example,
optical scanning may be performed on the paper or the another
medium, the program is then obtained in an electronic manner by
means of editing, deciphering or processing in another suitable
manner when necessary, and the program is then stored in a computer
memory.
[0337] It should be understood that the parts of the embodiments of
the present invention may be implemented by using hardware,
software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the foregoing
implementations, a plurality of steps or methods may be implemented
by using software or firmware that is stored in a memory and
executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example,
during implementation of hardware, as in other implementations, any
one or a combination of the following technologies well known in
the art may be used for implementation: a discrete logic circuit
having a logic gate circuit configured to implement a logic
function on a data signal, an application-specific integrated
circuit having a suitable combinational logic gate circuit, a
programmable gate array (PGA), a field-programmable gate array
(FPGA), and the like.
[0338] A person of ordinary skill in the art may understand that
all or some steps carried in the methods of the foregoing
embodiments may be implemented by a program instructing relevant
hardware. The program may be stored in a computer readable storage
medium. When the program runs, one or a combination of the steps of
the method embodiments is performed.
[0339] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of the
present invention may either be integrated in a processing module
or each be a separate physical unit. Alternatively, two or more of
the foregoing units may be integrated in one module. The foregoing
integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or
software functional modules. If implemented in the form of software
function modules and sold or used as an independent product, the
integrated modules may also be stored in the computer readable
storage medium.
[0340] The storage medium mentioned in the foregoing may be a ROM,
a magnetic disk, an optical disc or the like. Although the
embodiments of the present invention are shown and described above,
it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are
exemplary and should not be construed as limitations to the present
invention. A person of ordinary skill in the art may make changes,
modifications, replacements, and variations to the foregoing
embodiments within the scope of the present invention.
[0341] Referring to FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, a pet collar system
includes: a base station 600 and a pet collar. The pet collar
includes a collar body 700 and a training apparatus 300 disposed on
the collar body 700.
[0342] The base station 600 is in communication connection with the
training apparatus 300. The base station 600 stores base station
coordinate information, and the base station 600 receives base
station positioning data observed by a satellite positioning
system. The base station 600 computes a differential observation
value according to the base station coordinate information and the
base station positioning data, obtains a positioning error
correction value, and sends the positioning error correction value
to the training apparatus 300.
[0343] The base station 600 includes a satellite antenna, a
satellite signal processing module, and a radio station antenna.
The satellite antenna is configured to receive the base station
positioning data observed by the satellite system. The satellite
signal processing module resolves the positioning error correction
value according to the base station positioning data. The radio
station antenna is configured to send the positioning error
correction value resolved by the base station to the training
apparatus 300 by using wireless transmission.
[0344] Specifically, the satellite signal processing module uses a
carrier-phase differential algorithm to calculate a difference
between the received base station positioning data and the base
station coordinate information to resolve the positioning error
correction value. The carrier-phase differential calculation is an
RTK positioning technology based on the carrier phase observation
value, so that a three-dimensional positioning result of a measured
station in a set coordinate system can be provided in real time,
and is insusceptible to interference factors such as various errors
and blockage, where centimeter precision can be achieved even if
there is severe interference. In this way, the base station 600 can
provide a precise positioning error correction value for the
training apparatus 300, so that a pet is precisely located in real
time, positioning precision is high, and positioning efficiency is
high.
[0345] The training apparatus 300 includes a mobile satellite
antenna 310, a base station radio antenna 320, a microprocessor
330, and an alarm 340.
[0346] The mobile satellite antenna 310 is configured to: receive
collar positioning data observed by the satellite positioning
system, and send the received collar positioning data to the
microprocessor 330.
[0347] The base station radio antenna 320 is configured to: receive
the positioning error correction value sent by the base station,
and send the received positioning error correction value to the
microprocessor 330.
[0348] The microprocessor 330 stores a pet movement boundary region
in advance, and the pet is restricted to the pet movement boundary
region. The microprocessor 330 performs positioning correction
processing according to the positioning error correction value of
the collar positioning data, determines whether a distance between
the pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than or equal
to a preset distance threshold, and when the distance between the
pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than or equal to
the preset distance threshold, sends an alarm signal to the alarm
340. In this embodiment, the microprocessor performs correction
processing on the collar positioning data by using the positioning
error correction value, and positioning with centimeter precision
can be achieved through comprehensive resolution, thereby greatly
improving pet positioning precision.
[0349] The alarm 340 is configured to output alarm information
according to the alarm signal.
[0350] The pet collar system is configured to form a virtual pet
fence around the pet movement boundary region to prevent the pet
from getting lost. For the pet collar, the satellite positioning
system is used to locate the pet, it is not necessary to arrange a
line around a boundary, so that implementation operations are
simple and convenient, and the pet collar performs correction
processing on a positioning result according to a positioning
correction value calculated by the base station by processing a
continuous differential observation value, so that corrected
positioning precision can be greatly improved. A positioning signal
of the pet collar system is insusceptible to various interference
factors, so that positioning with centimeter precision can be
achieved. The pet is precisely located, positioning precision is
high, and the pet can be effectively prevented from moving beyond a
preset movement boundary region, so as to prevent the pet from
getting lost, thereby ensuring safety of the pet.
[0351] As shown in FIG. 32, in an embodiment, the microprocessor
330 includes a storage unit 332, a positioning correction unit 334,
a position determining unit 336, and an alarm unit 338.
[0352] The storage unit 332 is configured to store the pet movement
boundary region.
[0353] The positioning correction unit 334 is configured to perform
positioning correction processing according to the collar
positioning data and the positioning error correction value, to
obtain current pet position coordinate information.
[0354] The position determining unit 336 is configured to: compute
the distance between the pet and the pet movement boundary region
according to the current pet position coordinate information, and
determine whether the distance between the pet and the pet movement
boundary region is less than or equal to the preset distance
threshold.
[0355] Specifically, in an embodiment, the storage unit 332 is
further configured to store the preset distance threshold between
the pet and the pet movement boundary region. A specific value of
the preset distance threshold may be arbitrarily set according to
an actual requirement.
[0356] The alarm unit 338 is configured to: when the distance
between the pet and the pet movement boundary region is less than
or equal to the preset distance threshold, output an alarm signal
to the alarm.
[0357] Specifically, when the distance between the pet and the pet
movement boundary region is greater than the preset distance
threshold, the pet moves within the pet movement boundary region,
there is no risk of getting lost and no potential safety hazard,
and no processing is required. When the distance between the pet
and the pet movement boundary region is less than or equal to the
preset distance threshold, the pet moves to the pet movement
boundary region, and there is a risk of getting lost or a potential
safety hazard, and the alarm information needs to be output to give
the pet an alarm.
[0358] In an embodiment, the alarm signal includes a sound-light
alarm signal and an electric shock alarm signal. As shown in FIG.
1, the alarm 340 includes a sound-light alarm 342 and an electric
shock prod 344. When the distance between the pet and the pet
movement boundary region is equal to the preset distance threshold,
the alarm unit 338 outputs a sound-light alarm signal to the
sound-light alarm 342, and the sound-light alarm 342 outputs
sound-light alarm information to prompt the pet. If the pet
continues moving, when the distance between the pet and the pet
movement boundary region is less than the preset distance
threshold, the alarm unit 338 outputs an electric shock alarm
signal to the electric shock prod 344 to give the pet an electric
shock for warning. As the distance between the pet and the pet
movement boundary region is smaller, electric shock intensity is
higher. In this embodiment, the sound-light alarm 340 and the
electric shock prod 344 are used to give the pet different levels
of warning. After the distance between the pet and the pet movement
boundary region is less than or equal to the preset distance
threshold, as the distance between the pet and the pet movement
boundary region decreases, an alarm level is higher, so as to
create a conditioned reflex of the pet.
[0359] As shown in FIG. 31 and FIG. 32, in an embodiment, the pet
collar further includes an acceleration sensor 350. The
acceleration sensor is 350 disposed on the collar body 310, and the
acceleration sensor 350 is connected to the microprocessor 330. The
acceleration sensor 350 is configured to: acquire pet movement
acceleration, and send the acquired pet movement acceleration to
the microprocessor 330.
[0360] The microprocessor 330 further includes a power management
unit 339. The power management unit 339 is configured to: receive
the pet movement acceleration, compare the pet movement
acceleration with a prestored acceleration threshold, and when the
pet movement acceleration is less than or equal to the acceleration
threshold, start a sleep mode, to enable the microprocessor 330 to
enter a sleep state. When the pet movement acceleration is greater
than the acceleration threshold, the microprocessor 330 wakes up to
work, and the microprocessor 330 works normally.
[0361] In this embodiment, the pet movement acceleration is
detected to determine a movement state of the pet, and a working
state of the microprocessor 330 is adjusted according to the
movement state of the pet. Specifically, the pet movement
acceleration during walking is greater than acceleration amplitude
when the pet stops or lies down. When the pet is in a stationary
state, the pet does not get lost. When the pet moves slowly, the
pet usually does not get lost either. Therefore, the acceleration
threshold is preset, and the microprocessor starts and enters a
working mode only when the detected pet movement acceleration is
greater than the acceleration threshold. Otherwise, the
microprocessor is in a power-saving sleep mode to reduce power
consumption of the microprocessor, so that power conservation of
the system is implement