Control system for a remote vehicle

• US 8,350,810 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2012
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flir Detection, Inc. (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Robbins, Michael A., Kenyon, Samuel H., Gerson, Roger, Woodbury, Travis, Ledoux, Melissa N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US13/459,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20120268587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 256 Days
• Field of Search: 345/161, 345/473
• 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

A system for controlling a remote vehicle, the system comprising: a hand-held controller having a plurality of buttons; a display including a graphical user interface having soft buttons; and a processor in communication with the hand-held controller and the display. Buttons of the hand-held controller are mapped to soft buttons of the graphical user interface to allow actuation of soft buttons of the graphical user interface, and the hand-held controller is capable of switching between two or more button function modes, wherein each button function mode assigns different functions to one or more of the buttons of the hand-held 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, having a first plurality of input devices including a first analog joystick and a 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, having a second plurality of input devices including a second analog joystick and at least one manipulable input mechanism manipulable by the right thumb, and a right rocker control located on a shoulder portion of the controller;

a mode changer configured to receive an input to change between two or more function modes, each function mode assigning different functions to one or more of the input devices; and

a pose control configured to receive input to select one or more predetermined poses of the remote vehicle.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the two or more function modes include a drive mode to drive the remote vehicle and a manipulate mode to manipulate one or more elements of the remote vehicle.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined poses is a drive pose.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more predetermined poses include predefined positions of the remote vehicle'"'"'s flippers, head and neck.

5. 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 first plurality of input devices including a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a manipulable input mechanism, the driving joystick and the manipulable input mechanism being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

a second plurality of input devices including a camera joystick for controlling a camera pose of the remote vehicle, and an array of buttons, the camera joystick and the 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 button pressible to stop a motor of the remote vehicle.

6. The control system of claim 5, further comprising a pose control configured to receive input to select one or more predetermined poses of the remote vehicle.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the one or more predetermined poses is a drive pose.

8. The control system of claim 5, further comprising a mode changer configured to receive an input to change between two or more function modes, each function mode assigning different functions to one or more of the input devices.

9. The control system of claim 8, wherein the two or more function modes include a drive mode to drive the remote vehicle and a manipulate mode to manipulate one or more elements of the remote vehicle.

10. 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 first plurality of input devices including a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a manipulable input mechanism, the driving joystick and the manipulable input mechanism being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

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

a mode button or toggle manipulable by a user'"'"'s finger to change a mode of the remote vehicle.

11. The control system of claim 10, further comprising a pose control configured to receive input to select one or more predetermined poses of the remote vehicle.

12. The control system of claim 11, wherein the one or more predetermined poses is a drive pose.

13. The control system of claim 10, further comprising a mode changer configured to receive an input to change between two or more function modes, each function mode assigning different functions to one or more of the input devices.

14. The control system of claim 13, wherein the two or more function modes include a drive mode to drive the remote vehicle and a manipulate mode to manipulate one or more elements of the remote vehicle.

15. 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 first plurality of input devices including a driving joystick for forward/reverse and left/right steering of the remote vehicle, and a manipulable input mechanism, the driving joystick and the manipulable input mechanism being manipulable by the user'"'"'s left thumb;

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

a pose control configured to receive input to select one or more predetermined poses of the remote vehicle.

16. The control system of claim 15, further comprising a pose control configured to receive input to select the at least one predetermined pose of the remote vehicle.

17. The control system of claim 16, wherein the one or more predetermined poses is a drive pose.

18. The control system of claim 15, further comprising a mode changer configured to receive an input to change between two or more function modes, each function mode assigning different functions to one or more of the input devices.

19. The control system of claim 18, wherein the two or more function modes include a drive mode to drive the remote vehicle and a manipulate mode to manipulate one or more elements of the remote vehicle.