Time-dependent navigation of telepresence robots

• US 10,591,921 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation, Jonata Sub Two, Inc. (Teladoc Health, Inc.), Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Wright, Tim, Chan, Michael, Pinter, Marco, Hanrahan, Kevin, Sanchez, Daniel, Ballantyne, James, Herzog, Cody, Whitney, Blair, Lai, Fuji, Temby, Kelton, Rauhut, Eben Christopher, Kearns, Justin H., Wong, Cheuk Wah, Farlow, Timothy Sturtevant
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Yuen
• Application Number:
  US15/721,067
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• 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: G05D 1/0011 associated with a remote control arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0217 in accordance with energy consumption, time reduction or distance reduction criteria
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0259 using magnetic or electromagnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.

Claims

1. A telepresence robot, comprising:

a drive system, comprising a plurality of drive wheels, configured to move the telepresence robot about a robot environment;

a control system, comprising a controller, configured to cause the drive system to move the telepresence robot along a navigation path;

a mapping module, executable by a processor, in communication with the control system, the mapping module configured to access a map of the robot environment and at least one time-dependent navigation tag, the time-dependent navigation tag including a location on the map and a schedule action modifier that modifies the navigation path at a time of day;

a positioning system, comprising a positioning receiver, in communication with the control system, the positioning system configured to provide a current position of the telepresence robot on the map;

a navigation system, comprising a processor, configured to generate the navigation path from the current position of the telepresence robot to a destination on the map based at least in part on the schedule action modifier and the time of day, wherein the navigation system is configured to generate the navigation path by generating a plurality of potential navigation paths, and wherein at least one of the plurality of the potential navigation paths is avoided at the time of day based on the at least one of the plurality of the potential navigation path including the at least one time-dependent navigation tag with the schedule action modifier.

2. The telepresence robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to identify obstacles in a vicinity of the telepresence robot; and

an obstacle avoidance system in communication with the plurality of sensors and in communication with the control system, wherein the control system is further configured to generate additional drive instructions to avoid obstacles in the vicinity of the telepresence robot.

3. The telepresence robot of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a three-dimensional image sensor that forms a point cloud, including a three-dimensional occupancy of obstacles, and wherein the control system is configured to avoid the three-dimensional occupancy of the obstacles.

4. The telepresence robot of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sensors monitoring time-dependent obstacles, time-dependent environmental conditions and time-dependent occupancy conditions, wherein the plurality of sensors are mounted on the telepresence robot and in remote communication with the telepresence robot.

5. The telepresence robot of claim 4, wherein the telepresence robot is configured to create the at least one time-dependent navigation tag based on information from the plurality of sensors and time of day information.

6. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the map is stored remotely, such that the mapping module is configured to access the map via a communication system.

7. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the map is stored within the telepresence robot.

8. The telepresence robot of claim 7, wherein the map stored within the telepresence robot is synced with a remotely stored map.

9. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the positioning system comprises an radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, wherein the positioning system associates a plurality of RFID chips with a corresponding plurality of coordinates on the map, and the positioning system is configured to determine the current position of the telepresence robot based at least in part on a location of one or more RFID chips within range of the RFID reader.