Robot surveillance system and method

• US 8,738,198 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2011
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schempf, Hagen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US13/134,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20120303179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,097 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 11/002 Manipulators for defensive or military tasks
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/13 Flying platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/14 with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/31 for surveillance
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/202 using tethers for connecting to ground station
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/26 Ducted or shrouded rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/19 using electrically powered motors
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/005 Unmanned ground vehicles, i.e. robotic, remote controlled or autonomous, mobile platforms carrying equipment for performing a military or police role, e.g. weapon systems or reconnaissance sensors F41H11/16 takes precedence
• 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 1/0858 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0866 specially adapted to captive aircraft

Abstract

A robot surveillance system includes a robot chassis, a drive subsystem for the chassis, a dock on the chassis, and a payout device associated with the chassis. A flying module is configured to be received in the dock and includes at least one rotor powered by a motor and a body portion including an imager. A tether is coupled to the payout device of the robot and to the flying module for allowing the flying module to climb out of the dock when powered to gain elevation for surveillance and imaging via the imager and for retracting the flying module to land on the robot and reside in the chassis dock after surveillance.

Claims

1. A robot system comprising:

a robot including;

a chassis,

a drive subsystem for maneuvering the robot chassis,

a dock on the chassis,

a payout device associated with the dock including a tether, and

a radio subsystem;

a flying module connected to the tether configured to be received in the dock and including;

at least one rotor,

an imager, and

an antenna; and

an operator control unit which wirelessly controls the robot drive subsystem to maneuver the robot chassis and controls the payout device and flying module to deploy and dock the flying module via wireless transmissions to the robot radio subsystem and via wireless transmissions to the flying module antenna.

2. The robot system of claim 1 in which the imager is configured to provide images to the robot via the tether.

3. The robot system of claim 1 in which the robot includes a controller responsive to the radio subsystem and configured to control the payout device and the flying module.

4. The robot system of claim 3 in which operator control unit commands for controlling at least one of the robot and flying module received by the flying module antenna are routed to the robot controller.

5. The robot system of claim 1 in which power to the flying module is provided from the robot to the flying module via the tether.

6. The robot system of claim 1 in which at least one of the robot and flying module includes one or more autonomy software control modules.

7. The robot system of claim 1 in which the tether includes electrical conductors for transmitting image data obtained by the imager of the flying module to the robot.

8. A method of controlling a remotely controlled robot and a flying module tethered to the remotely controlled robot via a payout device, the method comprising:

using an operator control unit to maneuver the remotely controlled robot via commands provided to the remotely controlled robot;

using the operator control unit to control the payout device via commands provided to the remotely controlled robot;

using the operator control unit to power on and deploy the flying module via commands provided to the remotely controlled robot;

using the operator control unit to maneuver the remotely controlled robot via commands provided to the flying module when deployed via an antenna on the flying module;

using the operator control unit to control the payout device via commands provided to the flying module via said antenna; and

using the operator control unit to control the flying module via commands provided to the flying module when deployed via said antenna.

9. The method of claim 8 further including obtaining images via an imager on the flying module and transmitting said images to the robot via the tether.

10. The method of claim 9 further including transmitting said images from the robot to the operator control unit.