ROBOTS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS FOR HAZARD EVALUATION AND VISUALIZATION

• US 20110054689A1
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Bruemmer, David J., Kinoshita, Robert A., Walton, Miles C., Gertman, David I., Hartley, Robert S., Whetten, Jonathan, Nielsen, Curtis W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,355,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/258
• 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 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

Claims

1. A robot platform, comprising:

a hazard sensor configured for sensing an environmental hazard to generate a signal containing hazard information indicative of a magnitude of the environmental hazard;

a locomotor configured for providing mobility to the robot platform; and

a system controller disposed on the robot platform and operably coupled to the at least one locomotor and the signal from the at least one hazard sensor, the system controller configured for executing a hazard evaluation of an area of interest, the hazard evaluation, comprising repeatedly;

determining a hazard level proximate the hazard sensor from the hazard information; and

using a robot initiative to adaptively move the robot platform with the locomotor to a new position responsive to the hazard level.

2. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface operably coupled to the system controller and configured for communicating the hazard information to a remote user interface.

3. The robot platform of claim 2, wherein the system controller is further configured for:

receiving instructions from the remote user interface using the communication interface, the instruction for achieving at least one task-oriented target and comprising at least one of intervention instructions, robot initiative instructions, and instructions for setting a task-oriented autonomy level;

if the instructions are the robot initiative instructions, developing a robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target and performing the robot plan; and

if the instructions are the intervention instructions, then performing the intervention instructions for achieving the at least one task-oriented target from the remote user interface and, if present, overriding the robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target.

4. The robot platform of claim 3, wherein the at least one task-oriented target is selected from the group consisting of a navigation target, an imaging target, a sensor target, and a manipulator target.

5. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional hazard sensor operably coupled to the system controller and configured for sensing a different environmental hazard as additional hazard information and wherein the system controller is further configured for using a robot initiative to adaptively move the robot platform responsive to a combination of the hazard level and the additional hazard information.

6. A method for controlling a robot, comprising:

performing a hazard evaluation with the robot at multiple locations of an area of interest by repeatedly;

detecting an intensity of an environmental hazard at a current location in the area of interest with at least one detector coupled to the robot; and

autonomously moving the robot to a new location in the area of interest responsive to the intensity of the environmental hazard;

communicating the intensity of the environmental hazard for at least one of the multiple locations to a remote user interface; and

indicating, with the remote user interface, the intensity of the environmental hazard for the at least one of the multiple locations to a user.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the indicating comprises displaying, on the remote user interface, a hazard gradient scale and a hazard intensity at the current location for the environmental hazard.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting an intensity of at least one additional environmental hazard at the current location of the robot; and

wherein the hazard gradient scale is for indicating varying levels of a combined hazard intensity comprising a combination of the intensity of the environmental hazard and the intensity of the at least one additional environmental hazard.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a map of the area of interest on the remote user interface;

positioning at least one task-oriented target on the map;

determining a task-oriented autonomy level of the robot correlated to a change in the at least one task-oriented target;

if the change in the at least one task-oriented target is smaller than a change threshold, instructing the robot to achieve the at least one task-oriented target by intervention instructions from the remote user interface; and

if the change in the at least one task-oriented target is larger than the change threshold, instructing the robot to achieve the at least one task-oriented target using robot initiative to determine a robot plan for achieving the at least one task-oriented target and implementing the robot plan.

10. A robot control system, comprising:

a robot platform comprising a hazard sensor, a locomotor, a robot communicator and a system controller, the robot platform configured for;

sensing a hazard intensity at a current location of the robot platform with the hazard sensor;

moving the robot platform to a new location with the locomotor responsive to the hazard intensity;

autonomously repeating the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations responsive to the hazard intensity at the current location; and

communicating at least one of the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller with the robot communicator; and

the remote controller comprising;

a user interface for developing user commands;

a hazard level indicator for notifying a user of the hazard intensity at one or more of the multiple locations in substantially real time; and

a remote controller communicator for sending the user commands to the robot platform and receiving the hazard intensity at one or more of the multiple locations from the robot platform.

11. The robot control system of claim 10, wherein the remote controller comprises a handheld device, the handheld device including;

the user interface comprising at least one of buttons and inertial sensors configured for determining the user commands;

the hazard level indicator comprising at least one of a visual indicator and a tactile indicator; and

the remote controller communicator comprising a proximate-range communicator.

12. The robot control system of claim 10, wherein the remote controller comprises a handheld device, the handheld device including;

the user interface comprising at least one of a keyboard, a touch-sensitive screen, and inertial sensors configured for determining the user commands;

the hazard level indicator comprising at least one of a tactile indicator and a display for presenting a graphical user interface; and

the remote controller communicator comprising a short-range communicator.

13. The robot control system of claim 12, wherein the display is configured for displaying a remote user interface, a hazard gradient scale, and the hazard intensity at the current location.

14. The robot control system of claim 10, wherein the remote controller comprises at least one remote computer, each remote computer comprising;

the user interface comprising at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch-sensitive screen, configured for determining the user commands;

the hazard level indicator comprising a display for presenting a graphical user interface; and

the remote controller communicator comprising a long-range communicator.

15. The robot control system of claim 14, wherein the display is configured for displaying a remote user interface, a hazard gradient scale, and the hazard intensity at the current location.

16. The robot control system of claim 10, further comprising at least one additional hazard sensor on the robot platform and configured for sensing a different environmental hazard as additional hazard information, and wherein the hazard level indicator is further for indicating varying levels of a combined hazard intensity comprising a combination of the hazard intensity and the additional hazard information.

17. A graphical user interface for displaying information about an environment proximate a robot, comprising:

an environment map for displaying a representation of the environment proximate the robot;

a hazard gradient scale for indicating varying levels of a hazard intensity; and

at least one hazard indicator corresponding to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicating the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the hazard gradient scale.

18. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein the environment map comprises a two-dimensional representation of the environment proximate the robot.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein the environment map comprises a linear representation of a path the robot has traversed and the at least one hazard indicator comprises multiple hazard indicators at various positions along the path.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein the environment map comprises a wide linear representation of a path the robot has traversed and the at least one hazard indicator comprises multiple hazard indicators at various positions along the path and to at least one side of the path.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 17, further comprising a current hazard intensity indicator on the hazard gradient scale indicating the hazard intensity at a current location of the robot.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein:

the hazard gradient scale comprises varying levels of a combined hazard intensity including a combination of different hazard types sensed by the robot; and

the at least one hazard indicator graphically indicates the combined hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the hazard gradient scale.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 22, further comprising a plurality of current hazard intensity indicators on the hazard gradient scale, each current hazard intensity indicator indicating the hazard intensity of one of the different hazard types at the robot position.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 17, wherein the hazard gradient scale comprises a low level, an intermediate level, and a high level and wherein each of the low level, intermediate level and high level comprise a gradient within the level.

25. The graphical user interface of claim 24, wherein:

the low level is designated with a green color, the intermediate level is designated with a yellow color and the high level is designate with a red color; and

the gradient within the level is selected from the group consisting of texture, color saturation, color transparency, or combinations thereof.

26. The graphical user interface of claim 24, wherein an interface between the low level and the intermediate level is user adjustable.

27. The graphical user interface of claim 24, wherein an interface between the intermediate level and the high level is user adjustable.

28. The graphical user interface of claim 17, further comprising a robot designator graphically indicating a current robot position in the environment map, and wherein the at least one hazard indicator comprises:

a current hazard indicator graphically indicating a current hazard intensity at the current robot position; and

a plurality of previous hazard indicators, each previous hazard indicator graphically indicating a previous hazard intensity at a corresponding previous robot position.