Mobile Robot for Telecommunication

• US 20140031984A1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Published: 01/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Cross, Matthew, Campbell, Tony L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,892,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/257
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0005 Manipulators having means for high-level communication with users, e.g. speech generator, face recognition means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/17 Cylindrical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/27 Arm part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A system including a mobile telepresence robot, a telepresence computing device in wireless communication with the robot, and a host computing device in wireless communication with the robot and the telepresence computing device. The host computing device relays User Datagram Protocol traffic between the robot and the telepresence computing device through a firewall.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile telepresence robot at a first location;

a telepresence computing device at a second location different from the first location and in wireless communication with the robot; and

a host computing device at a third location different from the first and second locations, the computing device in wireless communication with the robot and the telepresence computing device, the host computing device relaying User Datagram Protocol traffic between the robot and the telepresence computing device through a firewall.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the User Datagram Protocol traffic comprises Voice-over-Internet Protocol datagrams.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the host computing device:

receives periodic status updates from the robot; and

stores the status updates in non-transitory storage.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the host computing device decodes the status updates before storing the status updates in a non-transitory storage.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the host computing device sends a customer support message to the telepresence computing device in response to a received status update.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the host computing device diagnoses a robot operating or networking issue based on a received status update.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the host computing device displays a fleet management interface providing service, health, or operating data related to the robot.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the host computing device receives configuration information from the robot in response to user configuration of the robot or a messaging account associated with the robot.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the host computing device provisions a session initiation protocol address using the configuration information.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the host computing device decodes the configuration information and pushes the decoded configuration information to one or more services in communication with the host computing device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the host computing device decodes the configuration information and updates a customer record stored in non-transitory storage.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, in non-transitory storage, configuration information from a mobile telepresence robot;

updating, using a computer processor, a user account stored in the non-transitory storage using the configuration information;

provisioning, using the computer processor, a session initiation protocol address using the configuration information;

receiving, at the computer processor, a Voice-over-Internet Protocol datagram from a remote computing device; and

instantiating, at the computer processor, a communication connection between the remote computing device and the robot.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising decoding the configuration information using the computer processor.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a confirmation message from the computer processor to the robot after successfully provisioning the session initiation protocol address.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising validating the remote computing device before instantiating the communication connection.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving periodic status updates at the computer processor from the robot and storing the status updates in the non-transitory storage.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising sending a customer support message from the computer processor to the remote computing device in response to a received status update.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising diagnosing a robot operating or networking issue based on a received status update.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying a fleet management interface providing service, health, or operating data related to the robot

20. A system providing communication connectivity between a mobile telepresence robot and a telepresence computing device, both in communication with the system, the system comprising non-transitory storage and one or more computer processors executing;

a hosting service;

a system monitoring service receiving periodic status updates from the robot and storing the status updates in the non-transitory storage;

an account management service receiving account information from the robot or the telepresence computing device and updating a user account stored in the non-transitory storage using the configuration information; and

a communications service configured to;

receive configuration information from the robot and provisioning a session initiation protocol address using the configuration information; and

receiving a Voice-over-Internet Protocol datagram from the telepresence computing device and instantiate a communication connection between the remote computing device and the robot.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the system monitoring service decodes the status updates before storing the status updates in a non-transitory storage.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the system monitoring service diagnoses a robot operating or networking issue based on a received status update.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the system monitoring service sends an email to a user email address associated with the user account providing a status of the robot.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the one or more computer processors execute a fleet management sendee, the fleet management service displaying an interface providing service, health, or operating data related to the robot based on status updates received from the robot.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the fleet management service provides persistent control and status of all robots associated with the user account.