Robot Control Method, Robot And Storage Medium

What is this patent about?

’753 is related to the field of robotics and artificial intelligence , specifically concerning the control of autonomous robots, such as cleaning robots or sorting robots, that operate using simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM). These robots can be moved or disturbed during operation, leading to localization errors that require a relocalization process to resume task execution.

The underlying idea behind ’753 is to enable a robot to intelligently determine a suitable task execution area after being moved or 'hijacked' and subsequently relocalized. Instead of simply returning to its previous location, the robot uses environmental information gathered after relocalization to decide on a new area to perform its task, allowing it to adapt to the changed circumstances and potentially fulfill user needs more effectively.

The claims of ’753 focus on a robot control method, a robot, and a storage medium containing instructions for the method. The core of the invention involves determining the robot's position after being released from a 'hijacked' state using relocalization, then defining a task execution area based on the surrounding environmental data. A key aspect highlighted in the claims is the robot's ability to identify corners in its environment and define the task execution area as an associated region, either a sector or a rectangle, relative to that corner.

In practice, the robot uses sensors, such as visual or laser sensors, to perceive its surroundings after being moved. If the robot detects a corner, it calculates a sector or rectangular area based on the distance to the corner's vertex or sides. This area then becomes the focus of the robot's task, for example, a cleaning robot would concentrate its cleaning efforts in this newly defined zone. This approach allows the robot to adapt its behavior based on its new location, rather than blindly returning to its original path.

This method differentiates itself from prior approaches where a robot, after relocalization, would typically return to its point of disruption to continue its task. By intelligently assessing the environment and defining a new task execution area, the robot can avoid obstacles, adapt to new rooms, or address specific areas of interest. This adaptive behavior enhances the robot's autonomy and its ability to meet user expectations in dynamic environments, especially when the robot is moved to a different environment.