Auxiliary communication system for radio controlled robots

• US 8,326,461 B1
• Filed: 10/10/2008
• Issued: 12/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Secretary of the Army
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Zirkind, Naomi, Lee, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Holwerda, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/249,013
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/250, 700/257, 700/264
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/162 Mobile manipulator, movable base with manipulator arm mounted on it
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33192 Radio link, wireless
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36159 Detachable or portable programming unit, display, pc, pda

Abstract

A system for providing autonomous capabilities to a radio-controlled robot, comprises two communication boxes, one connected to the robot and the other connected to an operator control unit (OCU). Each communication box comprises two radios that are interoperable with preexisting data radios in the robot; a microprocessor unit; and bidirectional attenuators. The system further comprises a software application that runs on the microprocessor unit of each communications box, to integrate data into existing transmission data stream between the robot and OCU, via preexisting data radios. The system enables the issuance of additional commands besides those issued by the OCU, using the original OCU.

Claims

1. Adaptive means for providing autonomous capabilities to an interactive robot system, said interactive robot system comprising a remote operator control unit (OCU) comprising a two way radio, (6), an OCU antenna, an OCU sensor data display/user interface, and an OCU extraneous command interface and whereby OCU commands can be entered through said OCU sensor data display/user interface to generate standardized OCU command signals which are broadcast by the two way radio (6) over the OCU antenna in a standardized OCU data stream;

and said interactive robot system further comprising a robot device with a robot antenna, another two way radio, (1), and said robot device including means for generating a standardized robot data stream which is broadcast through the two way radio (1) of the robot device and the robot antenna towards the OCU antenna, said standardized robot data stream being representative of conditions within the robot device, and robot device including means for responding to said standardized OCU data stream received over said robot antenna and the two way radio (1) of the robot device to control said robot device to operate in accordance with said OCU commands, said adaptive means comprising;

an add-on robot communication box that is externally connected to the robot device without modification to internal components of the robot device wherein said add-on robot communication box includes an additional a two way radio, (2) and a yet further two way radio, (3), a robot microprocessor unit, a robot bidirectional attenuator; and

a first computer program product that runs on said robot microprocessor unit to integrate enhanced robot data into the standardized robot data stream; and

an add-on OCU communication box that is externally connected to the operator control unit (OCU) without modification to internal components of the operator control unit (OCU), wherein the add-on OCU communication box comprises a still further two way radio, (4) and a yet additional two way radio, (5), an operator control unit (OCU) microprocessor unit;

an OCU bidirectional attenuator device, and a second computer program product that runs on the operator control unit (OCU) microprocessor unit, to integrate enhanced OCU data into said standardized OCU data stream.

2. The system as in claim 1 further comprising at least one or more robot sensors that are mounted on the robot device for providing robot sensor data to the robot device, and whereby selective such robot sensor data may be conveyed for transmission to the operator control unit (OCU) by being multiplexed within said standardized robot data stream.

3. The system as in claim 2 wherein the operator control unit (OCU) receives the multiplexed said standardized robot data stream and the second computer program product of the operator control unit (OCU) extracts the robot sensor data from the multiplexed said standardized robot data stream.

4. The system as in claim 2 wherein said robot sensors include any one or more of:

a haptic sensor in gripper, an explosives detector, a metal detector, a radiation detector, a biological sensor, and a chemical sensor.

5. The system as in claim 1 further comprising at least one or more robot payloads that are mounted on the robot device for receiving robot payload commands transmitted to the robot device from the operator control unit (OCU), said—

robot payload commands multiplexed with the standardized OCU data stream in the operator control unit (OCU).

6. The system as in claim 5 wherein the robot device receives the multiplexed standardized OCU data stream, and the first computer program product of the robot device extracts such robot payload commands from the multiplexed standardized OCU data stream, for use in controlling robot payloads.

7. The system as in claim 6 wherein controlling the robot payloads include any one or more of:

control of camera settings;

control of detectors settings; and

control of disruptors.

8. The system as in claim 1 further comprising an extraneous command interface that is mounted on the operator control unit (OCU) for transmitting extraneous commands to the robot device multiplexed with the standardized OCU data stream.

9. The system as in claim 8 wherein the robot communication box receives said multiplexed standardized OCU data stream;

and the first computer program product of the robot device extracts extraneous commands from the multiplexed standardized OCU data stream, for use in execution of extraneous commands by the robot device.

10. The system as in claim 9 wherein controlling the extraneous commands by the robot device include any one or more of:

autonomous reaching and grasping of objects mounted on and in proximity of the robot device; and

autonomous driving, including navigation and obstacle avoidance.