Control system for a remote vehicle

• US 7,843,431 B2
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Issued: 11/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Ledoux, Melissa N., Woodbury, Travis, Kenyon, Samuel H., Gerson, Roger, Robbins, Michael A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US11/739,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20080266254A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/161, 345/184, 345/473, 345/474, 463 37- 42, 348114-124, 434/262, 434/267, 700/245, 700/259, 700/248, 446/448, 446/454, 701/2
• US Class Current: 345/161
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• 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: G05G 1/01 Arrangements of two or more controlling members with respect to one another double foot control, e.g. for instruction vehicles G05G1/34; mounting units comprising an assembly with two or more pedals G05G1/36
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/02 Controlling members for hand actuation by linear movement, e.g. push buttons
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/04 Controlling members for hand actuation by pivoting movement, e.g. levers
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 19/16 in which transmission is by pulses

Abstract

Control system for a remote vehicle comprises a twin grip hand-held controller including: a left grip shaped to be held between a left little finger, ring finger, and the ball of the thumb, leaving the left index finger, middle finger, and thumb free; a left control zone adjacent to the left grip, including a first analog joystick and a first 4-way directional control manipulable by the left thumb, and a left rocker control located on a shoulder portion of the controller; a right handed grip shaped to be held between the right little finger, ring finger, and the ball of the thumb, leaving the left index finger, middle finger, and thumb free; and a right control zone adjacent the right grip, including a second analog joystick and a second 4-way directional control manipulable by the right thumb, and a right rocker control located on a shoulder portion of the controller.

Claims

1. A control system for operation of a remote vehicle, comprising:

a twin-grip hand-held controller having a volume of less than 1 liter and a weight of less than 1 lb, the twin-grip hand-held controller including;

a left grip shaped to be held between a user'"'"'s left little finger, ring finger, and the ball of the thumb, leaving the user'"'"'s left index finger, middle finger, and thumb free;

a left control zone adjacent to the left grip, including a first analog joystick and a first 4-way directional control manipulable by the left thumb, and a left rocker control located on a shoulder portion of the controller;

a right handed grip shaped to be held between the user'"'"'s right little finger, ring finger, and the ball of the thumb, leaving the user'"'"'s left index finger, middle finger, and thumb free;

a right control zone adjacent the right grip, including a second analog joystick and a second 4-way directional control manipulable by the right thumb, and a right rocker control located on a shoulder portion of the controller;

a tether zone between the left control zone and the right control zone, including a tether anchor configured to tether the hand controller between the left grip and the right grip and to permit the hand controller to hang with the left grip and right grip pointing upward;

a tether extending from the tether anchor to the right shoulder of an operator, the tether including a strain relief section; and

a quick-release pad to be worn on an operator'"'"'s chest, the quick-release pad including a first fastener for affixing the quick-release pad to available mounts on the operator, and a second quick-release fastener for holding the hand-held controller to the quick-release pad to be readily removable by pulling on the hand-held controller.

2. A control system for operation of remote vehicle having a main drive and a flipper drive articulated in a pitch plane, the control system comprising:

a processor capable of communicating with the remote vehicle;

a twin-grip hand-held controller for providing commands to the processor, the twin-grip hand-held controller including;

a left grip that permits a user'"'"'s left index finger, left middle finger, and left thumb to operate controls;

a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a first array of buttons, the driving joystick and the first array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

a camera joystick for controlling a camera pose of the remote vehicle, and a second array of buttons, the camera joystick and the second array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s right thumb;

a rocker control for controlling a flipper of the remote vehicle, the rocker control being aligned along a pitch plane parallel to the articulated flipper drive, and controlling a rotational position of a flipper drive; and

a brake control that actuates a brake on the remote vehicle.

3. The control system of claim 2, wherein the brake control is adjacent to the driving joystick and manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb.

4. The control system of claim 2, wherein the brake control is a dead man'"'"'s switch located under the user'"'"'s left forefinger, left middle finger, right forefinger, or right middle finger.

5. The control system of claim 2, wherein one of the first array of buttons and the second array of buttons includes a speed governor that sets speed ranges for the remote vehicle.

6. The control system of claim 2, wherein one of the first array of buttons and the second array of buttons selects among predetermined poses for the robot.

7. A control system for operation of remote vehicle having a main drive and a flipper drive articulated in a pitch plane, the control system comprising:

a processor capable of communicating with the remote vehicle;

a twin-grip hand-held controller for providing commands to the processor, the twin-grip hand-held controller including;

a left grip that permits a user'"'"'s left index finger, left middle finger, and left thumb to operate controls;

a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a first array of buttons, the driving joystick and the first array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

a camera joystick for controlling a camera pose of the remote vehicle, and a second array of buttons, the camera joystick and the second array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s right thumb; and

a mode button or toggle located under the user'"'"'s left forefinger, right forefinger, left middle finger, or right middle finger.

8. A control system for operation of remote vehicle having a main drive and a flipper drive articulated in a pitch plane, the control system comprising:

a processor capable of communicating with the remote vehicle;

a twin-grip hand-held controller for providing commands to the processor, the twin-grip hand-held controller including;

a left grip that permits a user'"'"'s left index finger, left middle finger, and left thumb to operate controls;

a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a first array of buttons, the driving joystick and the first array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

a camera joystick for controlling a camera pose of the remote vehicle, and a second array of buttons, the camera joystick and the second array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s right thumb; and

one of a directional pad or a right button array for selecting among one or more predetermined poses of the remote vehicle.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined poses include predefined positions of the remote vehicle'"'"'s flippers and camera.

10. The control system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined poses include predefined positions of the remote vehicle'"'"'s flippers, head and neck.

11. The control system of claim 8, wherein selection of a predetermined poses is made with the user'"'"'s right thumb.

12. The control system of claim 8, further comprising a user interface illustrating the predetermined poses available for selection.

13. The control system of claim 12, further comprising software for transitioning among the predetermined poses.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the software for transitioning among the predetermined poses transitions the remote vehicle through arbitrary intermediate poses.

15. The control system of claim 8, further comprising means for returning a camera of the remote vehicle to a default position.

16. A control system for operation of remote vehicle having a main drive and a flipper drive articulated in a pitch plane, the control system comprising:

a processor capable of communicating with the remote vehicle;

a twin-grip hand-held controller for providing commands to the processor, the twin-grip hand-held controller including;

a left grip that permits a user'"'"'s left index finger, left middle finger, and left thumb to operate controls;

a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a first array of buttons, the driving joystick and the first array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

a camera joystick for controlling a camera pose of the remote vehicle, and a second array of buttons, the camera joystick and the second array of buttons being manipulable by the user'"'"'s right thumb; and

one of a directional pad or a right button array for selecting among one or more autonomous assist behaviors of the remote vehicle.

17. The control of claim 16, wherein the autonomous assist behaviors include at least one of ballistic behaviors and continuous behaviors.

18. The control system of claim 16, wherein the autonomous assist behaviors include predefined positions of the remote vehicle'"'"'s flippers and camera.

19. The control system of claim 16, wherein the autonomous assist behaviors include predefined positions of the remote vehicle'"'"'s flippers, head, and neck.

20. The control system of claim 16, wherein selection of an autonomous assist behavior is made with the user'"'"'s right thumb.

21. The control system of claim 16, further comprising a user interface illustrating the autonomous assist behaviors available for selection.

22. The control system of claim 21, further comprising software for controlling the autonomous assist behaviors.