User interface device of remote control system for robot device and method using the same

• US 9,002,520 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Soon Hyuk, Kim, Gi Oh, Park, Jong Ho, Park, Ji Hyun, Baek, Seung Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Holwerda, Stephen
• Application Number:
  US12/336,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20090157228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 318/568.12, 318/568.16, 318/568.25, 700/245, 700/259, 700/258, 700/264, 340/435, 348/164, 348/218.1, 348/162, 348/163, 382/141, 901/1, 901/47
• US Class Current: 700/264
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40161 Visual display of machining, operation, remote viewing
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40165 Sensor data to display depends on robot status

Abstract

A user interface device of a remote control system for a robot and a method using the same are provided. The user interface device includes: a radio frequency (RF) unit for receiving, from a remote control robot, camera data and at least one sensor data detecting a distance; a display unit having a main screen and at least one auxiliary screen; and a controller having an environment evaluation module for determining whether the received camera data are in a normal condition, and having a screen display mode change module for displaying, if the received camera data are in a normal condition, the camera data on the main screen and displaying, if the received camera data are in an abnormal condition, the sensor data on the main screen.

Claims

1. A user interface device comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) unit for receiving, from an external device, camera data and at least one sensor data having a remote location environment information;

a display unit having a main screen and at least one auxiliary screen; and

a controller having an environment evaluation module that evaluates the remote location environment information of the external device and determines whether or not the received camera data are in a normal condition for the remote location environment, and having a screen display mode change module that controls displaying the camera data on the main screen when the received camera data are in the normal condition, and controls changing the display on the main screen to display the received sensor data from an ultrasonic sensor on the main screen if the received camera data are not in the normal condition when an environment evaluation module determines the remote location environment as being too bright or too dark by comparing light intensity values with one or more reference values.

2. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the external device is a remote control robot comprising:

a camera;

an infrared sensor

a sensor unit for outputting the sensor data by detecting a distance as the detected distance;

a data acquisition module for acquiring data from the camera and the sensor unit; and

an RF unit for transmitting the data acquired by the data acquisition module to the user interface device; and

wherein when the camera data is not in the normal condition, the display of camera data is shifted to the at least one auxiliary screen when the display on the main screen is changed to display the sensor data.

3. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the environment evaluation module determines that the received camera data are in the normal condition for the remote location environment information when a brightness of the camera data is within a range between a first reference value and a second reference value for setting a brightness limit.

4. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the environment evaluation module determines that the received camera data are not in the normal condition when the camera data is an error or when the camera data does not receive data from the external device.

5. The user interface device of claim 2, wherein the screen display mode change module displays infrared data on the main screen when the camera data are in the normal condition for the remote location environment information, and when the camera data are not in the normal condition, ultrasonic sensor data is displayed on the main screen.

6. The user interface device of claim 5, wherein the screen display mode change module displays, if an obstacle is detected by the infrared sensor, when the camera data are not in the normal condition, infrared sensor data on the main screen.

7. The user interface device of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency (RF) unit for receiving, from the external device, the camera data and sensor data having the remote location environment information, the received camera data and the sensor data are transmitted through a server or base-station from the external device.

8. A user interface method, comprising:

receiving, from an external device, camera data and sensor data having a remote location environment information;

determining whether the received camera data are in a normal condition for the remote location environment information;

displaying, when the received camera data are in the normal condition, the camera data on a main screen of a display having at least two screens; and

displaying, when the received camera data are not in the normal condition the sensor data, sensed from an ultrasonic sensor on the main screen,

wherein determining whether the received camera data are in a normal condition includes evaluating the remote location environment information of the external device, and changing a display on the main screen from the camera data to the ultrasonic sensed data.

9. The user interface method of claim 8, wherein the external device is a remote control robot comprising:

a camera;

a sensor unit having the ultrasonic sensor for detecting a distance;

a data acquisition module for acquiring data from the camera and the sensor unit; and

an RF unit for transmitting the data acquired by the data acquisition module to a user interface device.

10. The user interface method of claim 8, wherein the normal condition is a range of light intensity between a first reference value for setting a brightness limit and a second reference value for setting a darkness limit.

11. The user interface method of claim 9, wherein the sensor unit further comprises an infrared sensor that outputs infrared sensor data.

12. The user interface method of claim 11, wherein the sensor data further comprises infrared sensor data.

13. The user interface method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting an obstacle by the infrared sensor; and

displaying, if the camera data are not displayed on the main screen, the infrared sensor data on the main screen when the remote location environment information is determined to be within a predetermined light intensity value range.

14. The user interface method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting an obstacle by the ultrasonic sensor; and

displaying, if the camera data are not displayed on the main screen, an ultrasonic sensor data on the main screen.

15. The user interface method of claim 8, wherein the received camera data and the at ultrasonic sensed data are transmitted through a server or base- station from the external device.

16. A method of providing a user interface comprising:

receiving camera data and sensor data having a remote location environment information from an external device;

determining whether the received camera data are in a normal condition;

determining that the received camera data are not in the normal condition when the camera data is an error or when the camera data does not receive data from the external device; and

displaying the camera data on a screen if the received camera data are in the normal condition, and displaying the received sensor data on the screen comprising ultrasonic sensed data from an ultrasonic sensor if the received camera data are not in the normal condition or when the camera data is not received from the external device;

wherein the determining whether the received camera data are in the normal condition includes evaluating the remote location environment information of the external device, and wherein displaying the received sensor data includes changing a display on a main screen from the camera data to the ultrasonic sensed data.