Server connectivity control for a tele-presence robot

• US 10,059,000 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Herzog, John Cody, Whitney, Blair, Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Pinter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary D
• Application Number:
  US15/198,594
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40153 Teleassistance, operator assists, controls autonomous robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40178 Distributed top, resource availability in network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40195 Tele-operation, computer assisted manual operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot system with a robot that has a camera and a remote control station that can connect to the robot. The connection can include a plurality of privileges. The system further includes a server that controls which privileges are provided to the remote control station. The privileges may include the ability to control the robot, joint in a multi-cast session and the reception of audio/video from the robot. The privileges can be established and edited through a manager control station. The server may contain a database that defines groups of remote control station that can be connected to groups of robots. The database can be edited to vary the stations and robots within a group. The system may also allow for connectivity between a remote control station at a user programmable time window.

Claims

1. A remote controlled robot, comprising:

a plurality of robots, each robot having a robot camera, a robot camera, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

a remote station that can establish a connection with said robot, said remote station including a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, a station speaker;

a server that contains a database that defines a first subset of said plurality of robots as associated with a first customer identification (ID) and a second subset of said plurality of robots as associated with a second customer ID; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to edit which of said plurality of robots is associated with said first subset of robots or said second subset of robots, wherein, when said connection between said remote station and said robot is established, the robot monitor displays an image captured by the station camera, the station monitor displays an image captured by the robot camera, the station microphone reproduces a sound captured by the robot microphone, and the robot speaker reproduces a sound captured by the station microphone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said connection includes a plurality of privileges.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability to operate said robot.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability to participate in a session with another remote station.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability to view a video image captured by said robot camera.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability to hear audio captured by a robot microphone.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability for the video image captured by a control station camera to be displayed on said robot monitor.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein said privileges include an ability for the audio captured by a control station microphone to be played by a robot speaker.

9. The system of claim 2, further comprising an auxiliary device that can be coupled to said robot, and said privileges include an ability to access said auxiliary device attached to said robot.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said server includes a privilege map that is transferred to said remote control station.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot includes a mobile platform.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a plurality of remote stations and said database associates each of the plurality of remote stations with a customer ID.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said connection between said remote control station and said robot is established by a time window.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said server provides a user interface that allows one or more connectivity rules to be subtracted.

15. A method for connecting a remote station to one of a plurality of robots, comprising:

accessing, via a manager control station, a server that contains a database that defines a first subset of said plurality of robots and a second subset of said plurality of robots, each of the plurality of robots having a robot camera, a robot monitor, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

associating, via an input of the manager control station, the first subset of said plurality of robots with a first customer identification (ID) and the second subset of said plurality of robots with a second customer ID;

establishing a connection between a remote station and one of a plurality of robots, each remote station having a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker;

displaying an image captured by the station camera on the robot monitor;

displaying an image captured by the robot camera on the station monitor;

reproducing a sound captured by the robot microphone via the station speaker;

reproducing a sound captured by the station microphone via the robot speaker; and

,

accessing, via the manager control station, the server to edit which of said plurality or robots is associated with said first subset of robots or said second subset of robots.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein connection includes a connectivity privilege.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the privilege includes an ability to participate in a session with another remote station.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the privilege includes an ability to view a video image captured by the robot camera.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the privilege includes an ability to operate the robot.