Telepresence robot system that can be accessed by a cellular phone

• US 10,343,283 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Pinter, Marco, Medus, Leon Miguel, Sanchez, Daniel Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Cass, Jean Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/785,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20110288682A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,333 Days
• Field of Search: 700259
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/009 Nursing, e.g. carrying sick persons, pushing wheelchairs, distributing drugs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40174 Robot teleoperation through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/40 relating to mechanical, radiation or invasive therapies, e.g. surgery, laser therapy, dialysis or acupuncture
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A robot system with a robot that has a camera, monitor, a microphone and a speaker. A communication link can be established with the robot through a cellular phone. The link may include an audio only communication. Alternatively, the link may include audio and video communication between the cellular phone and the robot. The phone can transmit its resolution to the robot and cause the robot to transmit captured images at the phone resolution. The user can cause the robot to move through input on the cellular phone. For example, the phone may include an accelerometer that senses movement, and movement commands are then sent to the robot to cause a corresponding robot movement. The phone may have a touch screen that can be manipulated by the user to cause robot movement and/or camera zoom.

Claims

1. A robot system, comprising:

a robot that includes a robot camera, a robot monitor, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

a cellular phone in communication with said robot, said cellular phone includes a phone microphone and a phone speaker; and

,

a remote station, separate from said cellular phone, in communication with said robot, said remote station includes a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, wherein, while said cellular phone and said remote station are in communication with said robot, said remote station allows a user of said remote station to control a movement of said robot via an input device of said remote station, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, and said robot speaker reproduces a sound captured by said phone microphone.

2. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising a server that routes communication between said robot and said cellular phone.

3. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said cellular phone includes an accelerometer that senses movement of said cellular phone, said cellular phone transmits movement commands to said robot that are a function of said movement sensed by said accelerometer.

4. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said cellular phone is in communication with said robot camera and provides information to said robot regarding a resolution of an image displayed by said cellular phone, said robot varies a resolution of said image captured by said robot camera to correspond with said cellular phone resolution.

5. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot moves in response to a touch screen command provided on said cellular phone.

6. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot camera enters a zoom mode in response to a touch screen command provided on said cellular phone.

7. The robot system of claim 1, further comprising a second remote station that includes a monitor that displays an image captured by said robot camera while said cellular phone is in communication with said robot and said robot monitor displays the image captured by the camera of the first remote station.

8. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said remote station is connected to said robot through a first communication link and a second communication link.

9. The robot system of claim 8, wherein a first type of data is provided on said first communication link and a second type of data is provided on said second communication link.

10. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said remote station monitors at least one communication parameter and switches the types of data that are provided on said first and second communication links.

11. A method for providing access to a robot that includes a robot speaker, a robot monitor, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker, the method comprising:

establishing a communication link between a remote station and the robot, the remote station having a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker;

establishing a communication link between a cellular phone and the robot, said cellular phone is separate from said remote station and includes a phone microphone and a phone speaker; and

,

while said robot is in communication with said remote station and said cellular phone, controlling a movement of the robot in accordance with user input received via a user input device of the remote station, displaying on said robot monitor an image captured by said station camera, and,

reproducing by said robot speaker a sound captured by said phone microphone.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising routing the communication between the robot and the cellular phone through a server.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising sensing movement of the cellular phone, and transmitting movement commands from the cellular phone to the robot that are a function of the sensed movement.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising varying a resolution of an image captured by the robot camera to correspond with a cellular phone resolution.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the robot in response to a touch screen command provided on the cellular phone.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising zooming the robot camera in response to a touch screen command provided on the cellular phone.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying on a monitor of a second remote station an image captured by the robot camera while said cellular phone is in communication with said robot and said robot monitor displays the image captured by the camera of the first remote station.

18. The robot system of claim 11, wherein said remote station is connected to said robot through a first communication link and a second communication link.

19. The robot system of claim 18, wherein a first type of data is provided on said first communication link and a second type of data is provided on said second communication link.

20. The robot system of claim 19, wherein said remote station monitors at least one communication parameter and switches the types of data that are provided on said first and second communication links.