CN112022026A

CN112022026A - Self-propelled robot and obstacle detection method

Info

Publication number: CN112022026A
Application number: CN202011040514.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 彭松; 刘彦军; 贾惊涛
Original assignee: Beijing Rockrobo Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Rockrobo Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-28
Filing date: 2020-09-28
Publication date: 2020-12-04

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a self-propelled robot and an obstacle detection method, including: a robot main body including a control module disposed inside the robot main body and a forward portion disposed at an outer periphery of the robot main body; the buffer is arranged on the outer side of the forward part, has a preset distance with the forward part and responds to collision of the robot in the walking process; a near field communication module interacting with the control module, comprising: a first portion provided outside the forward portion, and a second portion provided inside the bumper corresponding to the first portion; in response to the collision, when the distance between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than a preset threshold value, the near field communication module generates an electric signal and transmits the electric signal to the control module. By adopting the near field communication module and combining the design of collision detection positions, the self-walking robot can flexibly and accurately detect the position of the barrier.

Description

Self-propelled robot and obstacle detection method

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of intelligent robots, and particularly relates to a self-walking robot and an obstacle detection method.

Background

With the improvement of living standard and the development of technology, the self-walking robot has wide application. The self-walking robot can automatically execute cleaning operation, and automatically clean the area to be explored through direct cleaning, mopping, vacuum dust collection and other modes.

During the cleaning process, the self-walking robot can detect the obstacles possibly encountered in the current working path in real time and execute corresponding obstacle avoidance operation. At present, methods for detecting obstacles include methods such as laser radar detection and camera identification. The method for laser radar ranging is used for identifying the obstacles, the cost is high, and due to the fact that the laser radar is located at the top of the robot, certain obstacles lower than the height of the robot cannot be detected in time. When the obstacle is identified through the camera, a complex training model needs to be constructed, and the obstacle is identified through the training model, so that the identification accuracy is not high. Therefore, a method for detecting an obstacle at low cost and efficiently is required.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a self-walking robot and an obstacle detection method, aiming at solving the technical problem of obstacle detection of the self-walking robot in the prior art.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a self-walking robot comprising: a robot main body including a control module disposed inside the robot main body and a forward portion disposed at an outer periphery of the robot main body; the buffer is arranged on the outer side of the forward part, has a preset distance with the forward part and responds to collision of the robot in the walking process; a near field communication module interacting with the control module, comprising: a first portion provided outside the forward portion, and a second portion provided inside the bumper corresponding to the first portion; in response to the collision, when the distance between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than a preset threshold value, the near field communication module generates an electric signal and transmits the electric signal to the control module.

Optionally, the method further includes: an elastic connection connected between the forward portion and the bumper, the elastic connection allowing the bumper to be reset after moving relative to the body in response to the collision.

Optionally, the first part is an NFC card reading module, and the second part is an NFC tag.

Optionally, the first part is an RFID reader, and the second part is an RFID tag.

Optionally, the plurality of near field communication modules are uniformly distributed or symmetrically arranged on the forward portion and the buffer, the plurality of near field communication modules respond to a plurality of electric signals generated by the collision and transmit the electric signals to the control module, and the control module confirms the collision of the buffer according to the plurality of electric signals.

Optionally, the elastic connection portion includes: a first coupling portion extending from the forward portion surface perpendicularly to the forward portion, the first coupling portion being a hollow structure; a second coupling portion extending perpendicularly to the bumper from an inner side of the bumper and telescopically moving within the hollow structure of the first coupling portion; an elastic member connected between the hollow structure bottom and the second coupling portion end.

Optionally, the method includes: the plurality of elastic connecting parts and the plurality of near field communication modules are arranged at intervals.

Optionally, the NFC tag includes a passive or active first coil, the NFC card reading module includes an active second coil, and when a distance between the first coil and the second coil at a corresponding position is smaller than the threshold value, a varying electrical signal is generated.

Optionally, the plurality of near field communication modules include an internal code, and the control module determines the stressed position of the buffer through the internal code.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an obstacle detection method applied to the self-propelled robot as described above, comprising: when the bumper collides with an obstacle, a distance between the first portion and the second portion of the near field communication module decreases; triggering communication between the first and second portions when the separation decreases to the threshold, thereby generating a varying electrical signal and sending the electrical signal to the control module; the control module determines the collision of the bumper based on the electrical signal, thereby controlling the action of the autonomous robot.

Advantageous effects

According to the invention, the near field communication module is adopted, and the design of the collision detection position is combined, so that the self-walking robot can flexibly and accurately detect the position of the obstacle.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2 is a perspective view of a self-walking robot structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a self-propelled robot structure provided by embodiments of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a bottom view of a self-walking robot structure provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a collision sensor of a self-propelled robot provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural view of an elastic connection portion according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic flow chart of an obstacle detection method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is an electronic structural schematic diagram of a robot provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all embodiments of the present disclosure. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, these descriptions should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one from another. For example, a first could also be termed a second, and, similarly, a second could also be termed a first, without departing from the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.

The disclosed embodiments provide a possible application scenario that includes a self-propelled robot, such as a sweeping robot, a mopping robot, a vacuum cleaner, a weeding machine, and the like. In the embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, taking the household sweeping robot 100 as an example for description, during the working process of the sweeping robot, it is required to detect whether there is an obstacle 200 in the traveling route in real time, and it is required to determine the position of the obstacle 200 in time through a laser radar, a camera, a collision sensor, and the like, so as to accurately perform obstacle avoidance operation. In this embodiment, the robot may be provided with a touch-sensitive display or controlled by a mobile terminal to receive an operation instruction input by a user. The robot can be provided with a wireless communication module such as a WIFI module and a Bluetooth module so as to be connected with the intelligent terminal or the server and receive an operation instruction transmitted by the intelligent terminal or the server through the wireless communication module.

As shown in fig. 2, the sweeping robot 100 can travel over the ground through various combinations of movements relative to the following three mutually perpendicular axes defined by the body 110: a front-back axis X, a lateral axis Y, and a central vertical axis Z. The forward driving direction along the forward-rearward axis X is denoted as "forward", and the rearward driving direction along the forward-rearward axis X is denoted as "rearward". The direction of the transverse axis Y is essentially the direction extending between the right and left wheels of the robot along the axis defined by the center points of the drive wheel modules 141.

The sweeping robot 100 may rotate about the Y-axis. The "pitch up" is when the forward portion of the sweeping robot 100 is tilted up and the rearward portion is tilted down, and the "pitch down" is when the forward portion of the sweeping robot 100 is tilted down and the rearward portion is tilted up. In addition, the robot 100 may rotate about the Z-axis. In the forward direction of the sweeping robot 100, when the sweeping robot 100 tilts to the right of the X axis, it turns to the right, and when the sweeping robot 100 tilts to the left of the X axis, it turns to the left.

As shown in fig. 3, the sweeping robot 100 includes a robot body 110, a sensing system 120, a control module, a driving system 140, a cleaning system, an energy system, and a human-computer interaction system 180.

The control module 130 is disposed on a circuit board in the machine body 110, And includes a non-transitory memory, such as a hard disk, a flash memory, And a random access memory, a communication computing processor, such as a central processing unit, And an application processor, And the application processor draws an instant map of an environment where the robot is located by using a positioning algorithm, such as instant positioning And Mapping (SLAM), according to obstacle information fed back by the laser distance measuring device. And the distance information and speed information fed back by the sensors such as the sensor, the cliff sensor, the magnetometer, the accelerometer, the gyroscope, the odometer and the like arranged on the buffer 122 are combined to comprehensively judge the current working state and position of the sweeper, the current pose of the sweeper, such as passing a threshold, getting a carpet, being positioned at the cliff, being blocked above or below, being full of dust boxes, being taken up and the like, and specific next-step action strategies can be provided according to different conditions, so that the work of the robot can better meet the requirements of an owner, and better user experience can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 4, the drive system 140 may steer the robot 100 across the ground based on drive commands having distance and angle information (e.g., x, y, and theta components). The drive system 140 includes a drive wheel module 141, and the drive wheel module 141 can control both the left and right wheels, and in order to more precisely control the motion of the machine, it is preferable that the drive wheel module 141 includes a left drive wheel module and a right drive wheel module, respectively. The left and right drive wheel modules are opposed along a transverse axis defined by the body 110. In order for the robot to be able to move more stably or with greater mobility over the ground, the robot may include one or more driven wheels 142, including but not limited to universal wheels. The driving wheel module comprises a traveling wheel, a driving motor and a control circuit for controlling the driving motor, and can also be connected with a circuit for measuring driving current and a milemeter. The driving wheel module 141 may be detachably coupled to the main body 110 to facilitate disassembly and maintenance. The drive wheel may have a biased drop-type suspension system movably secured, e.g., rotatably attached, to the robot body 110 and receiving a spring bias biased downward and away from the robot body 110. The spring bias allows the drive wheels to maintain contact and traction with the floor with a certain landing force while the cleaning elements of the sweeping robot 100 also contact the floor 10 with a certain pressure.

The cleaning system may be a dry cleaning system and/or a wet cleaning system. As a dry cleaning system, the main cleaning function is derived from the sweeping system 151 constituted by the roll brush, the dust box, the blower, the air outlet, and the connecting members therebetween. The rolling brush with certain interference with the ground sweeps the garbage on the ground and winds the garbage to the front of a dust suction opening between the rolling brush and the dust box, and then the garbage is sucked into the dust box by air which is generated by the fan and passes through the dust box and has suction force. The dry cleaning system may also include an edge brush 152 having an axis of rotation that is angled relative to the floor for moving debris into the roller brush area of the cleaning system.

Energy systems include rechargeable batteries, such as nickel metal hydride batteries and lithium batteries. The charging battery can be connected with a charging control circuit, a battery pack charging temperature detection circuit and a battery under-voltage monitoring circuit, and the charging control circuit, the battery pack charging temperature detection circuit and the battery under-voltage monitoring circuit are connected with the single chip microcomputer control circuit. The host computer is connected with the charging pile through the charging electrode arranged on the side or the lower part of the machine body for charging. If dust is attached to the exposed charging electrode, the plastic body around the electrode is melted and deformed due to the accumulation effect of electric charge in the charging process, even the electrode itself is deformed, and normal charging cannot be continued.

The human-computer interaction system 180 comprises keys on a host panel, and the keys are used for a user to select functions; the machine control system can further comprise a display screen and/or an indicator light and/or a loudspeaker, wherein the display screen, the indicator light and the loudspeaker show the current state or function selection item of the machine to a user; and a mobile phone client program can be further included. For the path navigation type automatic cleaning equipment, a map of the environment where the equipment is located and the position of a machine can be displayed to a user at a mobile phone client, and richer and more humanized function items can be provided for the user.

As shown in fig. 3, the machine body 110 includes a forward portion 111 and a rearward portion 112, and has an approximately circular shape (circular front and rear), but may have other shapes including, but not limited to, an approximately D-shape with a front and rear circle, and a rectangular or square shape with a front and rear.

The sensing system 120 includes a position determining device 121 located on the machine body 110, a collision sensor and a proximity sensor provided on a bumper 122 of the forward portion 111 of the machine body 110, a cliff sensor provided on a lower portion of the machine body, and sensing devices such as a magnetometer, an accelerometer, a gyroscope (Gyro), an odometer (odograph) and the like provided inside the machine body, for providing various position information and motion state information of the machine to the control module 130. The position determining device 121 includes, but is not limited to, a camera, a Laser Direct Structuring (LDS).

As shown in fig. 3, the forward portion 111 of the machine body 110 may carry a bumper 122, and when the driving wheel module 141 propels the robot to walk on the ground during the cleaning process, the bumper 122 detects one or more events in the traveling path of the sweeping robot 100 via a sensor system, such as an infrared sensor or NFC, provided thereon, and the sweeping robot 100 may control the driving wheel module 141 to make the sweeping robot 100 respond to the events, such as moving away from the obstacle, through the events, such as obstacles and walls, detected by the bumper 122.

As one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, the present invention provides a self-propelled robot comprising: a machine body 110 including a control module 130 disposed inside the machine body 110 and a forward portion 111 disposed at an outer circumference of the machine body 110; a buffer 122 telescopically disposed outside the forward portion 111 and having a predetermined distance from the forward portion 111; a near field communication module 133 interacting with the control module 130, the near field communication module 133 including a first portion 1331 disposed outside the forward portion 111 and a second portion 1332 disposed inside the buffer 122 corresponding to the first portion 1331; in response to the collision, when the distance between the first portion 1331 and the second portion 1332 is less than a preset threshold, the near field communication module 133 generates and transmits an electrical signal to the control module 130.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the near field communication module 133 includes: the NFC card reading modules 1331 are uniformly distributed on the outer side of the forward part; an NFC tag 1332 disposed inside the buffer 122 corresponding to the NFC card reading module; when the distance between the NFC card reading module 1331 and the NFC tag 1332 at the corresponding position is smaller than a certain threshold, a varying electrical signal is generated and sent to the control module.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the near field communication module 133, including the RFID reader 1331, is uniformly distributed outside the forward portion; an RFID tag 1332 provided inside the buffer 122 corresponding to the RFID reader 1331; when the distance between the RFID reader 1331 and the RFID tag 1332 at the corresponding position is smaller than a certain threshold value, a changed electric signal is generated and sent to the control module.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the buffer 122 is connected to the forward portion 111 by an elastic connection portion 144, and the elastic connection portion 144 allows the buffer 122 to be elastically displaced back and forth in the horizontal direction by an external force.

As one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 6, the elastic connection portion 144 includes: a first coupling portion 1441 extending from a surface of the forward portion 111 perpendicularly to the forward portion 111, and the first coupling portion 1441 is a hollow structure; a second coupling portion 1442 extending perpendicularly to the buffer 122 from the inside of the buffer 122 and telescopically moving within the hollow structure of the first coupling portion 1441; an elastic member 1443 connected between the bottom of the hollow structure and the end of the second coupling portion. The elastic member 1443 provides an elastic force by which the second coupling part 1442 reciprocates within the first coupling part 1441.

As an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic connection portion 144 includes: a first coupling portion 1441 extending perpendicularly to the bumper 122 from a surface of the bumper 122, and the first coupling portion 1441 is a hollow structure; a second coupling portion 1442 extending perpendicularly to the forward portion 111 from the inside of the forward portion 111 and telescopically moving within the hollow structure of the first coupling portion 1441; an elastic member 1443 connected between the bottom of the hollow structure and the end of the second coupling portion. The elastic member 1443 provides an elastic force by which the second coupling part 1442 reciprocates within the first coupling part 1441.

As one embodiment of the present invention, a self-walking robot includes: a plurality of the elastic connection parts 144 and a plurality of the near field communication modules 133, wherein the plurality of elastic connection parts 144 and the plurality of near field communication modules are arranged at intervals. A plurality of elastic connection portions are uniformly provided between the bumper 122 and the forward portion 111, thereby ensuring stability after the entire bumper collides with an obstacle.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the NFC tag includes a passive or active first coil, and the NFC card reading module includes an active second coil, and when a distance between the first coil and the second coil at a corresponding position is smaller than a certain threshold, for example, 10-15cm, a varying electrical signal is generated. The NFC label and the card reader are respectively provided with an inductance coil, when the NFC label is close to the corresponding card reader, an inductance coupling coil inside the card reader serves as a primary coil of a transformer and supplies power for the passive NFC label, the inductance coil on the NFC label is equivalent to a secondary coil of the transformer, a chip in the NFC card reader modulates information stored inside the NFC card reader on the NFC coil, the modulation method comprises the step of regularly changing the impedance of the coil to regularly change the load of the inductance primary coil, and the NFC card reader can read the information in the NFC label by detecting the impedance change rule of the inductance coil inside the NFC card reader.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of near field communication modules include an internal code, and the control module determines the stressed position of the buffer through the internal code. For example, the NFC card reading modules of the near field communication modules sequentially encode 001, 002, 003 and the like from left to right, each NFC card reading module is connected with the control module, and when the NFC card reading module of 001 detects an electric signal, the 001 position is considered to collide at the moment, so that the position of the barrier can be determined. Furthermore, the position coordinates of the obstacle in the operation area can be accurately marked by combining the map and the coordinates of the robot, and the robot can execute obstacle avoidance operation according to the position coordinates.

As one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of near field communication modules may generate displacement after being collided by an external force, the displacement generated by the near field communication modules at different positions is different, and the collision position is determined according to the different generated displacements. For example, after the leftmost position is collided, the leftmost near field communication module is located at the maximum, for example, 5cm is located, the adjacent near field communication modules generate 3cm displacement and 1cm displacement, the intensities of electric signals generated by the near field communication modules are different due to the difference of the generated displacements, the electric signals with different intensities are sent to the control module, and the control module can judge the collided position according to the intensities of the electric signals to further control the robot to perform a route.

Above-mentioned embodiment is through adopting NFC as collision sensor's components and parts, combines the design of collision detection position for the self-propelled robot can be nimble, accurate detect the position of barrier, and this collision detection device simple structure can just detect the barrier at robot and barrier collision start, has promoted the sensitivity that the barrier detected.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a self-propelled robotic obstacle detection method that requires the self-propelled robotic attachment structure described in any one of the above to be performed, the specific obstacle detection method being as shown in fig. 7.

Step S702: when the bumper collides with an obstacle, a distance between the first portion and the second portion of the near field communication module decreases.

When the robot cache device is impacted, the distance between the NFC card reading module and the NFC label at the corresponding position is usually larger than 15cm, and when the robot cache device is impacted, the distance between the NFC card reading module and the NFC label at the corresponding position is usually shortened to different degrees, such as 1-5cm, according to the impact force, at the moment, electric signals are generated in a changing mode, and the strength of the electric signals generated in different changing distances is different.

Step S704: when the separation decreases to the threshold, communication between the first and second portions is triggered, thereby generating a varying electrical signal, and sending the electrical signal to the control module.

Step S706: the control module determines the collision of the bumper based on the electrical signal, thereby controlling the action of the autonomous robot.

The control module may calculate a distance value between the NFC card reading module and the NFC tag at the corresponding position according to the magnitude of the electrical signal, so as to calculate a displacement distance of the cache device, where for example, the distance value between the NFC card reading module determined by the current electrical signal and the NFC tag at the corresponding position is L1, the original distance between the NFC card reading module and the NFC tag at the corresponding position is L0, the displacement distance L of the cache device at this time is L0-L1, the greater the displacement distance L is, the greater the force of impact is, and when the next time the vehicle travels to the position, the vehicle needs to be decelerated in advance or prepared for obstacle avoidance.

As one embodiment of the present invention, when the buffer is impacted by an external force, a distance between the NFC card reading module and the NFC tag at a corresponding position is reduced, including: when the buffer is impacted by external force, the elastic connecting part is compressed to drive the distance between the NFC card reading module and the NFC label at the corresponding position to be reduced.

As an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic connection part compresses, and includes: the second coupling portion compresses the elastic member and moves along the hollow structure of the first coupling portion.

The disclosed embodiments provide a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer program instructions which, when invoked and executed by a processor, implement the method steps as recited in any of the above.

The disclosed embodiment provides a robot, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores computer program instructions capable of being executed by the processor, and the processor executes the computer program instructions to realize the method steps of any one of the foregoing embodiments.

As shown in fig. 8, the robot may include a processing device (e.g., central processing unit, graphics processor, etc.) 801 that may perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in a Read Only Memory (ROM)802 or a program loaded from a storage device 808 into a Random Access Memory (RAM) 803. In the RAM 803, various programs and data necessary for the operation of the electronic robot 800 are also stored. The processing apparatus 801, the ROM 802, and the RAM 803 are connected to each other by a bus 804. An input/output (I/O) interface 805 is also connected to bus 804.

Generally, the following devices may be connected to the I/O interface 805: input devices 806 including, for example, a touch screen, touch pad, keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, accelerometer, gyroscope, etc.; output devices 807 including, for example, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), speakers, vibrators, and the like; storage 808 including, for example, a hard disk; and a communication device 809. The communication means 809 may allow the electronic robot to perform wireless or wired communication with other robots to exchange data. While fig. 8 illustrates an electronic robot having various means, it is to be understood that not all of the illustrated means are required to be implemented or provided. More or fewer devices may alternatively be implemented or provided.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flow diagram may be implemented as a robot software program. For example, embodiments of the present disclosure include a robot software program product comprising a computer program embodied on a readable medium, the computer program comprising program code for performing the method illustrated in the flow chart. In such an embodiment, the computer program may be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication means 809, or installed from the storage means 808, or installed from the ROM 802. The computer program, when executed by the processing apparatus 801, performs the above-described functions defined in the methods of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that the computer readable medium in the present disclosure can be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium or any combination of the two. A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the computer readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In contrast, in the present disclosure, a computer readable signal medium may comprise a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, either in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated data signal may take many forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may also be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to: electrical wires, optical cables, RF (radio frequency), etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

The computer readable medium may be embodied in the robot; or may be separate and not assembled into the robot.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

The above-described embodiments of the apparatus are merely illustrative, and the units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the present embodiment. One of ordinary skill in the art can understand and implement it without inventive effort.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above examples are only intended to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, not to limit them; although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some technical features may be equivalently replaced; and such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the corresponding technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A self-walking robot, comprising:

a robot main body including a control module disposed inside the robot main body and a forward portion disposed at an outer periphery of the robot main body;

the buffer is arranged on the outer side of the forward part, has a preset distance with the forward part and responds to collision of the robot in the walking process;

a near field communication module interacting with the control module, comprising: a first portion provided outside the forward portion, and a second portion provided inside the bumper corresponding to the first portion; in response to the collision, when the distance between the first portion and the second portion is smaller than a preset threshold value, the near field communication module generates an electric signal and transmits the electric signal to the control module.

2. The self-walking robot of claim 1, further comprising:

an elastic connection connected between the forward portion and the bumper, the elastic connection allowing the bumper to be reset after moving relative to the body in response to the collision.

3. The self-walking robot of claim 1, wherein the first part is an NFC card reading module and the second part is an NFC tag.

4. The self-walking robot of claim 1, wherein the first part is an RFID reader and the second part is an RFID tag.

5. The self-walking robot of claim 1, wherein the near field communication modules are provided in plurality, uniformly distributed or symmetrically disposed on the forward portion and the bumper, and the plurality of near field communication modules transmit a plurality of electric signals generated in response to the collision to the control module, and the control module confirms the collision of the bumper based on the plurality of electric signals.

6. The self-walking robot of claim 2, wherein the elastic connecting part comprises:

a first coupling portion extending from the forward portion surface perpendicularly to the forward portion, the first coupling portion being a hollow structure;

a second coupling portion extending perpendicularly to the bumper from an inner side of the bumper and telescopically moving within the hollow structure of the first coupling portion;

an elastic member connected between the hollow structure bottom and the second coupling portion end.

7. The self-walking robot of claim 2, comprising: the plurality of elastic connecting parts and the plurality of near field communication modules are arranged at intervals.

8. The self-walking robot of claim 3, wherein the NFC tag comprises a passive or active first coil, and the NFC reader module comprises an active second coil, and wherein a varying electrical signal is generated when the first coil is spaced from the second coil at a corresponding position by less than the threshold value.

9. The self-walking robot of claim 5, wherein the plurality of near-field communication modules comprise internal codes, and the control module determines the force-bearing position of the bumper by the internal codes.

10. An obstacle detection method applied to the self-propelled robot according to claims 1 to 9, comprising:

when the bumper collides with an obstacle, a distance between the first portion and the second portion of the near field communication module decreases;

triggering communication between the first and second portions when the separation decreases to the threshold, thereby generating a varying electrical signal and sending the electrical signal to the control module;

the control module determines the collision of the bumper based on the electrical signal, thereby controlling the action of the autonomous robot.