Robots, systems, and methods for hazard evaluation and visualization

• US 8,355,818 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2009
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Curtis W., Bruemmer, David J., Walton, Miles C., Hartley, Robert S., Gertman, David I., Kinoshita, Robert A., Whetten, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Dalena
• Application Number:
  US12/553,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20110054689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• Field of Search: 700/258, 700/245, 700/253, 700/255, 318/567, 318/568.11, 318/587, 340628-634, 340/3.1, 340/539.22, 340/870.16, 340/870.17, 340/501, 340/506, 340/525, 340/531, 340/539.11, 340/539.14, 340/587, 340600-602
• US Class Current: 700/258
• 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: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0214 in accordance with safety or protection criteria, e.g. avoiding hazardous areas monitoring the location of vehicles within a certain area, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas, in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/13
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS

Abstract

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

Claims

1. A robot platform, comprising:

a hazard sensor configured for sensing an environmental hazard to generate a signal containing hazard information indicative of a magnitude of the environmental hazard;

a locomotor configured for providing mobility to the robot platform; and

a system controller disposed on the robot platform and operably coupled to the locomotor and the signal from the hazard sensor, the system controller configured for executing a hazard evaluation of an area of interest, the hazard evaluation, comprising repeatedly;

determining a hazard level proximate the hazard sensor from the hazard information; and

using a robot initiative to adaptively move the robot platform with the locomotor to a new position responsive to the hazard level determined at one or more of a present hazard level and previous hazard levels from the repeated hazard level determinations; and

determining a hazard gradient indicating varying levels of a hazard intensity at different locations responsive to two or more of the repeated hazard level determinations.

2. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface operably coupled to the system controller and configured for communicating the hazard information to a remote user interface.

3. The robot platform of claim 2, wherein the system controller is further configured for:

receiving instructions from the remote user interface using the communication interface, the instructions for achieving at least one task-oriented target and comprising at least one of intervention instructions, robot initiative instructions, and instructions for setting a task-oriented autonomy level;

if the instructions are the robot initiative instructions, developing a robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target and performing the robot plan; and

if the instructions are the intervention instructions, then performing the intervention instructions for achieving the at least one task-oriented target from the remote user interface and, if present, overriding the robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target.

4. The robot platform of claim 3, wherein the at least one task-oriented target is selected from the group consisting of a navigation target, an imaging target, a sensor target, and a manipulator target.

5. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising at least one additional hazard sensor operably coupled to the system controller and configured for sensing a different environmental hazard as additional hazard information and wherein the system controller is further configured for using a robot initiative to adaptively move the robot platform responsive to a combination of the hazard level and the additional hazard information.

6. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising a manipulator configured for moving the hazard sensor relative to the robot platform and wherein the system controller is further configured for repeatedly using the robot initiative to adaptively move the hazard sensor with the manipulator to a new manipulator position responsive to the hazard level determined at one or more of the present hazard level and previous hazard levels from the repeated operations.

7. The robot platform of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface operably coupled to the system controller and configured for communicating the hazard gradient to a remote user interface.

8. A robot platform, comprising:

a hazard sensor configured for sensing an environmental hazard to generate a signal containing hazard information indicative of a magnitude of the environmental hazard at a current location;

a manipulator configured for moving the hazard sensor relative to the robot platform; and

a system controller disposed on the robot platform and operably coupled to the manipulator, and the signal from the at least one hazard sensor, the system controller configured for executing a hazard evaluation of an area of interest, the hazard evaluation, comprising repeatedly;

determining a hazard level proximate the hazard sensor from the hazard information; and

using a robot initiative to adaptively move the hazard sensor with the manipulator to a new manipulator position responsive to the hazard level determined at one or more of a present hazard level and previous hazard levels from the repeated hazard level determinations; and

determining a hazard gradient indicating varying levels of a hazard intensity at different locations responsive to two or more of the repeated hazard level determinations.

9. The robot platform of claim 8, further comprising a locomotor configured for providing mobility to the robot platform and wherein the system controller is further configured for repeatedly using the robot initiative to move the robot platform with the locomotor to a new position responsive to the hazard level determined at one or more of the present hazard level and previous hazard levels from the repeated operations.

10. The robot platform of claim 9, further comprising at least one additional hazard sensor operably coupled to the system controller and configured for sensing a different environmental hazard as additional hazard information and wherein the system controller is further configured for using a robot initiative to adaptively move the robot platform responsive to a combination of the hazard level and the additional hazard information.

11. The robot platform of claim 8, further comprising a communication interface operably coupled to the system controller and configured for communicating the hazard information to a remote user interface.

12. The robot platform of claim 11, wherein the system controller is further configured for:

receiving instructions from the remote user interface using the communication interface, the instructions for achieving at least one task-oriented target and comprising at least one of intervention instructions, robot initiative instructions, and instructions for setting a task-oriented autonomy level;

if the instructions are the robot initiative instructions, developing a robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target and performing the robot plan; and

if the instructions are the intervention instructions, then performing the intervention instructions for achieving the at least one task-oriented target from the remote user interface and, if present, overriding the robot plan to achieve the at least one task-oriented target.

13. The robot platform of claim 12, wherein the at least one task-oriented target is selected from the group consisting of a navigation target, an imaging target, a sensor target, and a manipulator target.

14. The robot platform of claim 8, further comprising a communication interface operably coupled to the system controller and configured for communicating the hazard gradient to a remote user interface.