TELEROBOTIC COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20130226343A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penguin Automated Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Penguin Automated Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Baiden, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 9,728,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• 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: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/40 Remote control systems using repeaters, converters, gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/08 Robot

Abstract

A telerobotic communications system including a teleoperation centre to transmit control data and receive non-control data by wireless connection to and from a first mobile telerobot and indirectly to and from a second mobile telerobot. The first mobile telerobot includes a transceiver for receiving and transmitting control and non-control data, respectively, and also a repeater for relaying control data to a second mobile telerobot and relaying non-control data back to the teleoperation centre. The system allows the second mobile telerobot to travel beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless signal emitted directly by the teleoperation centre. The system may also include wireless repeaters to extend the communications distance between the first and second telerobots.

Claims

1. A telerobotic communications system comprising,

a teleoperation centre for transmitting control data and receiving non-control data by wireless communication within a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication,

a first mobile telerobot and at least one second mobile telerobot,

the first mobile telerobot comprising at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for

receiving at least first mobile telerobot control data by

wireless communication from the teleoperation centre and for transmitting at least non-control data by wireless communication to the teleoperation centre, and

transmitting at least second mobile telerobot control data representing commands from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication to the at least one second mobile telerobot and for receiving at least non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot and transmitting the non-control data by wireless communication to the teleoperation centre,

the at least one second mobile telerobot comprising,

at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for receiving second mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication from the first mobile telerobot representing commands from the teleoperation centre and for transmitting at least non-control data by wireless communication to the first mobile telerobot for transmission to the teleoperation centre,

whereby the at least one second mobile telerobot receives the control data from the teleoperation centre beyond the communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre.

2. The telerobotic communications system of claim 1, further comprising at least one third mobile telerobot,

the at least one third mobile telerobot comprising,

at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for receiving third mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication from the first mobile telerobot representing commands from the teleoperation centre and for transmitting non-control data by wireless communication to the first mobile telerobot for transmission to the teleoperation centre,

the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first mobile telerobot being configured for receiving third mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication and transmitting control data representing the third mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication and for receiving non-control data from the at least one third mobile telerobot by wireless communication and transmitting non-control data representing the non-control data from the third mobile telerobot,

whereby the at least one third mobile telerobot receives control data from the teleoperation centre beyond the communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre.

3. A telerobotic communications system comprising,

a teleoperation centre for transmitting control data and receiving non-control data by wireless connection,

a first mobile telerobot, at least one second mobile telerobot and at least one repeater module,

the first mobile telerobot comprising at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for

receiving at least first telerobot control data by wireless communication from the teleoperation centre and for transmitting at least non-control data by wireless communication to the teleoperation centre, and

transmitting at least second telerobot control data representing commands from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication to the at least one second mobile telerobot and for receiving at least non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot and transmitting the non-control data by wireless communication to the teleoperation centre,

the at least one repeater module comprising,

a repeater for relaying at least second telerobot control data from the first mobile telerobot by wireless communication to at least one second mobile telerobot and relaying non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot by wireless communication to the first mobile telerobot,

the at least one second mobile telerobot comprising,

at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for receiving second mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication from the at least one repeater module from the teleoperation centre via the first mobile telerobot and for transmitting non-control data by wireless communication to the at least one repeater module for transmission to the teleoperation centre via the first mobile telerobot,

whereby the at least one second mobile telerobot receives control data from the teleoperation centre via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot and via the at least one repeater module beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre and beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the first mobile telerobot.

4. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, further comprising at least one third mobile telerobot,

the at least one third telerobot comprising,

at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for receiving third mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication from the at least one repeater module from the teleoperation centre via the first mobile telerobot and for transmitting non-control data by wireless communication to the at least one repeater module for transmission to the teleoperation centre via the first mobile telerobot,

whereby the at least one third mobile telerobot receives control data from the teleoperation centre relayed via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot and via the at least one repeater module beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre and beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the first mobile telerobot.

5. The telerobotic communications system of claim 4, wherein the at least one third mobile telerobot receives third mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication relayed via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot and via the at least one repeater module coupled with the at least one second telerobot beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre and beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the first mobile telerobot.

6. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, further comprising at least one second repeater module for relaying second mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperations centre by wireless communication via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot and via the at least one repeater module to at least one second mobile telerobot and relaying non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot by wireless communication to teleoperations centre by wireless communication via the at least one repeater module and via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot,

whereby the at least one second mobile telerobot control data is received via the at least one transmitter and receiver or the at least one transceiver of the first telerobot and via the first repeater module and the at least one second repeater module beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre and beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the first telerobot and beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the at least one repeater module.

7. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein at least one repeater module is deployed by the at least one second telerobot.

8. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication between the teleoperation centre and the first mobile telerobot is by long distance wireless communication and the wireless communication between the first mobile telerobot and the at least one second mobile telerobot is by short distance wireless communication.

9. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication distance between the teleoperation centre and the first mobile telerobot is at least 1 kilometre.

10. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication distance between the first mobile telerobot and the at least one second mobile telerobot is at least 10 metres.

11. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication distance between the first mobile telerobot and the at least one second mobile telerobot is at least 100 metres.

12. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication distance between the first mobile telerobot and the at least one repeater module is at least 100 metres.

13. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the distance between the at least one repeater module and the at least one second mobile telerobot is at least 10 metres.

14. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication between the teleoperation centre and the first mobile telerobot is at a band range of 900 MHz or less.

15. The telerobotic communications system of claim 14, wherein the communication between the teleoperation centre and the first mobile telerobot is at a band range of 450 MHz or less.

16. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the communication between the teleoperation centre and the first mobile telerobot is at a band range of various frequencies simultaneously.

17. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication is optical communication.

18. The telerobotic communications system of claim 3, wherein the wireless communication between the first mobile telerobot and the at least one second mobile telerobot is optical communication.

19. A telerobotic communications system comprising,

a teleoperation centre for transmitting control data and receiving non-control data by wireless connection,

at least one repeater module and at least one mobile telerobot,

the at least one repeater module comprising,

a repeater for relaying mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperation centre by wireless communication to the at least one mobile telerobot and relaying non-control data from the at least one mobile telerobot by wireless communication to the teleoperation centre,

the at least one mobile telerobot comprising,

at least one transmitter and receiver, or at least one transceiver, for receiving mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication from the at least one repeater module relayed from the teleoperation centre and for transmitting non-control data by wireless communication to the at least one repeater module for relay to the teleoperation centre,

whereby the at least one mobile telerobot receives mobile telerobot control data from the teleoperation centre relayed via the at least one repeater module beyond a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication emitted by the teleoperation centre.

20. A method of communication for telerobots comprising,

transmitting from a teleoperation centre at least first mobile telerobot control data and second mobile telerobot control data by wireless communication to a first mobile telerobot within a communications-enabled distance of the wireless communication,

transmitting from the first mobile telerobot to at least one second mobile telerobot by wireless communication data representing commands for operating the at least one second mobile telerobot,

transmitting at least non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot by wireless communication to the first mobile telerobot, and

transmitting from the first mobile telerobot to the teleoperation centre by wireless communication at least non-control data from the first mobile telerobot and non-control data from the at least one second mobile telerobot.