Interfacing with a mobile telepresence robot

• US 8,718,837 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2012
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation, Jonata Sub Two, Inc. (Teladoc Health, Inc.), Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation, Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Wright, Tim, Chan, Michael, Pinter, Marco, Hanrahan, Kevin, Sanchez, Daniel, Ballantyne, James, Herzog, Cody, Whitney, Blair, Lai, Fuji, Temby, Kelton, Rauhut, Eben Christopher, Kearns, Justin H., Wong, Cheuk Wah, Farlow, Timothy Sturtevant
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, YUEN H
• Application Number:
  US13/360,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20120197464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 382/209
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/009 Nursing, e.g. carrying sick persons, pushing wheelchairs, distributing drugs
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/0095 Manipulators transporting wafers
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 5/00 Manipulators mounted on wheels or on carriages B25J1/00 takes precedence; programme-controlled manipulators B25J9/00 ; vehicle aspects B60, B62, e.g. remote-controlled steering for motor vehicles B62D1/24; control of position of vehicles G05D1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• 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 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/10 Geometric effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a plan view map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a plan view map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.

Claims

1. A telepresence robot, comprising:

a drive system configured to move the telepresence robot according to drive instructions;

a control system in communication with the drive system, the control system configured to generate drive instructions to cause the drive system to move the telepresence robot;

an imaging system in communication with the control system;

a mapping module in communication with the control system, the mapping module configured to access a map data source, the map data source comprising;

a plan view map representative of robot-navigable areas of a robot operating surface; and

a plurality of tags, each tag being a data structure comprising spatial coordinates locatable relative to the plan view map and tag information having a robot action modifier, wherein the spatial coordinates are associated with robot-navigable areas of the operating surface;

a positioning system in communication with the control system configured to provide positioning information associated with a current position;

a tag identification system configured to identify at least one tag relevant to a navigation path of the telepresence robot; and

a communication system configured to facilitate communication between the control system and a remote terminal, and

wherein the control system is configured to be triggered to execute a responsive action based on the robot action modifier of an identified tag.

2. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the tag information for the identified tag comprises instructions regarding one of a time and a location on the plan view map that the control system should execute the responsive action.

3. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the control system is configured to transmit a video feed from the imaging system to the remote terminal via the communication system, and

wherein the control system is configured to receive an indication of a desired destination on the plan view map from the remote terminal via the communication system.

4. The telepresence robot of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of sensors configured to identify obstacles in the vicinity of the telepresence robot; and

an obstacle avoidance system in communication with the plurality of sensors and in communication with the control system,

wherein the control system is further configured to generate additional drive instructions to avoid obstacles in the vicinity of the telepresence robot.

5. The telepresence robot of claim 4, wherein the plurality of sensors comprises a three-dimensional image sensor that forms a point cloud, including a three-dimensional occupancy of obstacles, and

wherein the drive instructions are configured to avoid the three-dimensional occupancy of the obstacles.

6. The telepresence robot of claim 5, further comprising:

a map generation system in communication with the control system, the map generation system configured to autonomously create the plan view map of the robot operating surface, and

wherein the control system generates drive instructions to cause the telepresence robot to move throughout the robot operating surface and obtain a plurality of measurements, and the map generation system uses the plurality of measurements to generate the plan view map.

7. The telepresence robot of claim 4, further comprising a navigation system configured to generate the navigation path, the navigation path comprising a sequence of coordinates from the current position on the plan view map to the desired destination on the plan view map.

8. The telepresence robot of claim 7, wherein the sequence of coordinates forming the navigation path is based at least in part on tag information associated with the identified tag.

9. The telepresence robot of claim 7, wherein the navigation system is configured to generate the navigation path by selecting a navigation path from a plurality of potential navigation paths, and

wherein the at least one tag relevant to the navigation path of the telepresence robot is associated with at least one of the plurality of potential navigation paths, and

wherein the navigation system is configured to select the navigation path based at least in part on the at least one identified relevant tag.

10. The telepresence robot of claim 7, wherein the sequence of coordinates forming the navigation path is transmitted via the communication system to the remote terminal.

11. The telepresence robot of claim 7, wherein the telepresence robot is configured to create a new tag using the sequence of coordinates forming the navigation path, such that the new tag comprises the sequence of coordinates, and tagging information related to the navigation path.

12. The telepresence robot of claim 4, wherein the control system is further configured to transmit coordinates relative to the plan view map of a detected obstacle to the remote terminal via the communication system.

13. The telepresence robot of claim 4, wherein the control system is further configured to receive a navigation path from the current position on the plan view map to the desired destination on the plan view map, and

wherein the control system is further configured to generate drive instructions to cause the drive system to move the telepresence robot to the desired destination based on the navigation path.

14. The telepresence robot of claim 4, wherein the communication system is configured to detect a disruption in communication between the telepresence robot and a remote terminal, and wherein the control system is further configured to continue to generate drive instructions to cause the telepresence robot to autonomously move to the desired destination during the disruption in communication.

15. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the tag information relates to at least one of a position, a path, and a volume, and

wherein the control system is configured to execute an action relative to the at least one of the position, the path, and the volume.

16. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the map data source is stored remotely, such that the mapping module is configured to access the map data source via the communication system.

17. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the map data source is stored within the telepresence robot, such that the mapping module is configured to access an internal map data source.

18. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the internal map data source is synced with a remotely stored map data source.

19. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the positioning system is further configured to provide a robot pose relative to the plan view map.

20. The telepresence robot of claim 1, wherein the telepresence robot is configured to create a new tag by:

associating tag coordinates describing the relative location of the new tag with respect to one of the plan view map and a video feed generated by the imaging system; and

associating tag information with the new tag.

21. The telepresence robot of claim 20, wherein the new tag is created in response to the telepresence robot detecting an object in the video feed.

22. The telepresence robot of claim 21, wherein the object is a person and the tag information of the new tag comprises identification information associated with the person.

23. The telepresence robot system of claim 21, wherein the object is a person and the tag information of the new tag comprises potential actions the remote telepresence robot can execute with respect to the person.

24. The telepresence robot system of claim 20, wherein the tag information relates to at least one of a position, a path, and a volume, and

wherein the control system is configured to execute an action relative to the at least one of the position, the path, and the volume.

25. The telepresence robot of claim 1, further comprising:

an RFID reader in communication with the positioning system, and

wherein the positioning system associates a plurality of RFID chips with a corresponding plurality of coordinates on the plan view map, and the positioning system is configured to determine the current position of the telepresence robot based at least in part on the location of one or more RFID chips within range of the RFID reader.

26. A method for controlling a telepresence robot, comprising:

retrieving at least a portion of a plan view map;

retrieving at least one of a plurality of tags, each tag being a data structure comprising spatial coordinates locatable relative to the plan view map and tag information having a robot action modifier, wherein the spatial coordinates are associated with robot-navigable areas of the operating surface;

determining a current position relative to the plan view map;

identifying at least one tag of the plurality of tags relevant to a navigation path of the telepresence robot; and

executing a responsive action based on the robot action modifier of an identified tag.