SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND METHODS INCLUDING A WHEELCHAIR-ASSIST ROBOT

• US 20160052139A1
• Filed: 08/21/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Elwha LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Leuthardt, Eric C., Lord, Richard T., Lord, Robert W., Rivet, Dennis J., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,314,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/047 by a modular detachable drive system
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 5/10 Parts, details or accessories
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/009 Nursing, e.g. carrying sick persons, pushing wheelchairs, distributing drugs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/005 mounted on endless tracks or belts
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods are described for providing, among other things, a wheelchair-assist robot for assisting a wheelchair user with everyday tasks or activities at work, at home, and the like. In an embodiment, the mobile wheelchair-assist robot includes a wheelchair interface component configured to exchange control information with a wheelchair controller. In an embodiment, a wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly is provided for, among other things, electrically and physically coupling a wheelchair-assist robot to an associated wheelchair.

Claims

1. A mobile wheelchair-assist robot system, comprising:

a wheelchair-assist robot;

a wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly constructed and arranged to be mounted onto a wheelchair, the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly having a powered device mechanism that engages the mobile wheelchair-assist robot and causes the mobile wheelchair-assist robot to physically secure against a portion of a wheelchair in response to one or more inputs from a client device associated with the wheelchair, the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly including a wheelchair-assist robot interface configured to communicably couple movements of the wheelchair-assist robot to the wheelchair from a first position remote and uncoupled from the wheelchair to a second position secured against and coupled to the wheelchair; and

an autonomous imaged-guided docking component operably coupled to the wheelchair-assist robot, the autonomous imaged-guided docking component having circuitry configured to communicate one or more navigation control commands to vary one or more of propulsion, braking, or steering of the wheelchair-assist robot responsive to one or more inputs indicative of wheelchair-assist robot position relative to the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly to move the wheelchair-assist robot between the first position and the second position.

4. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes a power interface component operable to electrically couple the mobile wheelchair-assist robot to a wheelchair power supply.

6. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes a wheelchair interface component that allows the client device associated with the wheelchair and the wheelchair-assist robot to exchange control commands.

7. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly comprises a chassis constructed and arranged to support the wheelchair-assist robot.

9. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly comprises:

a drive assembly including a drive motor operatively connected to the client device, the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly operable to transition between a wheelchair-assist robot deploy configuration and a wheelchair-assist robot secure configuration when the drive assembly is activated by one or more inputs from the client device.

10. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly comprises:

a wheelchair-assist robot interface configured to exchange control information with the wheelchair-assist robot.

11. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly comprises:

a wheelchair-assist robot dock interface configured to communicably couple the wheelchair-assist robot to an associated wheelchair.

12. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly comprises:

a wheelchair-assist robot dock interface configured to electrically couple the wheelchair-assist robot to a power supply of an associated wheelchair.

13. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, further comprising:

a coupling component mounted to the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly for physically coupling of the wheelchair-assist robot to a wheelchair.

15. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes one or more sensors operably coupled to the wheelchair-assist robot, the one or more sensors configured to generate control information to guide the wheelchair-assist robot system onto the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly.

16. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes an inductive power component.

17. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes an inertial reference component.

19. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes one or more friction-fit members dimensioned and configured to secure the wheelchair-assist robot system to the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly.

21. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly includes one or more clamping members dimensioned and configured to secure the wheelchair-assist robot system to the wheelchair-assist robot mount assembly.

22. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot is operably coupled to the client device associated with the wheelchair.

25. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 1, wherein the wheelchair-assist robot includes an image capture component.

26. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 25, wherein the image capture component is configured to communicate image information with the client device associated with the wheelchair.

27. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 25, wherein the image capture component is configured to communicate infrared image information with the client device associated with the wheelchair.

29. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 25, wherein the image capture component comprises a radar based object-detection device.

30. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 25, wherein the image capture component includes one or more object sensors and is configured to maintain the mobile wheelchair-assist robot at a target separation from the associated wheelchair.

35. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 25, wherein the image capture component is configured to survey a target region.

36. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 35, wherein the image capture component is configured to generate one or more parameters associated with the target region responsive to one or more inputs from the wheelchair interface component.

37. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot system of claim 35, wherein the image capture component is configured to generate one or more parameters associated with the target region responsive to one or more inputs indicative of an associated wheelchair route.

38. The mobile wheelchair-assist robot of claim 35, wherein the image capture component is configured to select the target region based on at least one of the associated wheelchair'"'"'s orientation, the associated wheelchair'"'"'s position, and the associated wheelchair'"'"'s route.

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