TELE-ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH A ROBOT FACE PLACED ON A CHAIR

• US 20110292193A1
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: PINTER, MARCO C., WRIGHT, TIMOTHY C., SANCHEZ, DANIEL S., WANG, YULUN
• Granted Patent: US 10,808,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/61
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/10 around a horizontal axis F16M11/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 11/2014 around a vertical axis F16M11/2035 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 13/00 Other supports for positioning apparatus or articles heads thereof F16M11/02 ; undercarriages thereof F16M11/20 ; adapted to be stuck in the ground A45F3/44 ; sockets or holders for poles or posts E04H12/22; Means for steadying hand-held apparatus or articles supports for measuring instruments G01D11/30; supports for casings of remote control switching devices H01H9/025
• CPC Class Codes: F16M 2200/08 Foot or support base
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A robot system that includes a robot face with a monitor, a camera, a speaker and a microphone. The robot face is connected to a stand that can be placed in a chair. The stand is configured so that the robot face is at a height that approximates the location of a person'"'"'s head if they were sitting in the chair. The robot face is coupled to a remote station that can be operated by a user. The face includes a monitor that displays a video image of a user of the remote station. The stand may be coupled to the robot face with articulated joints that can be controlled by the remote station. By way of example, the user at the remote station can cause the face to pan and/or tilt.

Claims

1. A robot face system that can be placed on a chair, comprising:

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

a stand that is connected to said robot face and adapted to support said robot face on the chair.

2. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot face includes at least one joint that can move said camera and said monitor.

3. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot includes a tilt joint that can move said camera and said monitor about a tilt axis and a pan joint that can move said camera and said monitor about a pan axis.

4. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said stand has a length with a range between 20 to 40 inches.

5. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said stand includes two spaced-apart leg portions.

6. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot includes an input port.

7. The robot system of claim 6, wherein said input port is located on an arm adapted to be placed on a table.

8. The robot system of claim 1, wherein said robot includes a video output port.

9. A robot system that includes a robot face that can be placed on a chair, comprising:

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

a stand that is connected to said robot face and adapted to support said robot face on the chair; and

a remote station that includes a camera coupled to said robot monitor, a monitor coupled to said robot camera, a microphone coupled to said robot speaker and a speaker coupled to said robot microphone.

10. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said robot face includes at least one joint that can move said camera and said monitor and be controlled by said remote station.

11. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said robot includes a tilt joint that can move said camera and said monitor about a tilt axis and a pan joint that can move said camera and said monitor about a pan axis, said tilt and pan joints can be controlled by said remote station.

12. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said stand has a length with a range between 20 to 40 inches.

13. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said stand includes two spaced-apart leg portions.

14. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said remote station is connected to said robot through a WiFi link and through a cellular link.

15. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said robot includes an input port.

16. The robot system of claim 15, wherein said input port is located on an arm adapted to be placed on a table.

17. The robot system of claim 9, wherein said robot includes a video output port.

18. A method for conducting a teleconference, comprising:

placing a robot face onto a chair, the robot face includes a camera, a monitor, a microphone and a speaker, and is coupled to a remote station that includes a camera coupled to the robot monitor, a monitor coupled to the robot camera, a microphone coupled to the robot speaker and a speaker coupled to the robot microphone; and

communicating between the robot face and the remote station.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the robot face in at least one degree of freedom with commands from the remote station.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising moving the robot face in at least two degrees of freedom with commands from the remote station.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting pre-existing information from the remote station to the robot and displaying that information on a projector connected to a video output port disposed on said robot.

22. A method of sharing a physical whiteboard remotely comprising:

transmitting an image of a physical whiteboard through a camera;

displaying the image on a remote station;

telestrating the image by a remote user; and

projecting telestration lines onto the physical whiteboard by a projector proximate to the physical whiteboard.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising aligning the shared physical whiteboard, whereby said projector projects registration marks on said whiteboard surface, said whiteboard and registration marks are visible on the remote station via transmission from a camera adjacent to the whiteboard, and the user of said remote station selects the location of said registration marks as seen on the remote station image.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising aligning said shared physical whiteboard, whereby said projector projects registration marks on said whiteboard surface, said whiteboard and registration marks are captured by a camera adjacent to the whiteboard, and said registration marks are automatically detected.