Mobile robot with a head-based movement mapping scheme

• US 8,077,963 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Laby, Keith P., Southard, Jonathan, Pinter, Marco, Miller, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JOHN W
• Application Number:
  US10/890,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20060013469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,709 Days
• Field of Search: 382/153
• US Class Current: 382/153
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/009 Nursing, e.g. carrying sick persons, pushing wheelchairs, distributing drugs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/02 Hand grip control means handles or pedals for crane control B66C13/56; for measuring the force applied to control members G01L5/22; hand-held casings for switching devices, e.g. joy-sticks H01H9/0214
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/007 mounted on wheels
• 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: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

A robotic system that includes a mobile robot and a remote input device. The input device may be a joystick that is used to move a camera and a mobile platform of the robot. The system may operate in a mode where the mobile platform moves in a camera reference coordinate system. The camera reference coordinate system is fixed to a viewing image provided by the camera so that movement of the robot corresponds to a direction viewed on a screen. This prevents disorientation during movement of the robot if the camera is panned across a viewing area.

Claims

1. A mobile robot system that is controlled through an input device, comprising:

a robot that has a camera located in a camera coordinate system that has at least a first camera axis and a mobile platform located within platform coordinate system that has at least a first platform axis; and

,

an input device that can be manipulated to cause said robot to move in at least three directions, each direction causes linear movement of said mobile platform in a drive direction without first rotating said mobile platform, said robot automatically moves and aligns said camera and said mobile platform while said robot is moving such that the first camera axis of the camera coordinate system is aligned with a first platform axis of the platform coordinate system from a state wherein said first camera and said first mobile platform axes were not in alignment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said input device is a joystick.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein twisting said joystick causes rotation of said camera and pivoting said joystick causes said mobile platform to move.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a remote control station with a camera coupled to a monitor of said robot.

5. A method for controlling a robot, comprising:

providing a robot that has a camera, the camera being located in a camera coordinate system with at least a first camera axis and the mobile platform being located in a platform system with at least a first platform axis;

providing an input device that can be manipulated to cause robot movement in at least three directions;

moving the camera such that said first camera axis is not aligned with said first platform axis; and

moving the robot and automatically aligning the camera and mobile platform while the robot is moving so that the first camera axis of the camera coordinate system is aligned with the first platform axis of the platform coordinate system.