Multi-camera mobile teleconferencing platform

• US 9,198,728 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Pinter, Marco, Southard, Jonathan, Herzog, John Cody, Laby, Keith Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Sample, Jonathan L
• Application Number:
  US11/240,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,714 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/35 for telesurgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/70 Manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/006 by means of a wireless system for controlling one or several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/06 Control stands, e.g. consoles, switchboards
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/021 Optical sensing devices
• 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 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/50 for simulation or modelling of medical disorders
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A remote controlled robot system that includes a mobile robot and a remote control station. A user can control movement of the robot from the remote control station. The mobile robot includes a camera system that can capture and transmit to the remote station a zoom image and a non-zoom image. The remote control station includes a monitor that displays a robot view field. The robot view field can display the non-zoom image. The zoom image can be displayed in the robot view field by highlighting an area of the non-zoom field. The remote control station may also store camera locations that allow a user to move the camera system to preset locations.

Claims

1. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a robot with a camera system that can capture a zoom image and a non-zoom image, the field of view of said non-zoom image includes the field of view of said zoom image; and

,

a remote control station that transmits commands to control said robot, said remote control station includes a monitor that displays only one image including the field of view of said zoom image at a time and a graphical user interface function that switches said monitor to display said zoom image or said non-zoom image, said graphical user interface function includes a highlighted area created with input from a user that is smaller than said non-zoom image, and said camera system of said robot moves to point at a center of said highlighted area to capture said zoom image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said highlighted area is initiated by depressing a mouse.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote control station includes at least one stored camera position.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said remote control station includes a keyboard and said stored camera position is stored by depressing a key on said keyboard.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said mobile robot moves said camera system to said stored camera position in response to said key being depressed.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein said monitor displays an indication that said stored camera position has been stored.

7. A method for remotely controlling a robot that has a camera, comprising:

transmitting a robot control command from a remote control station;

receiving the robot control command at a robot that has a camera system;

moving the robot in accordance with the robot control command;

displaying on a monitor of the remote control station a non-zoom image in a robot view field;

creating a highlighted area of said non-zoom image with input from a user that is smaller than the non-zoom image;

moving the camera and the monitor to point at a center of the highlighted area; and

,

capturing a zoom image that corresponds to the highlighted area, wherein the field of view of said non-zoom image includes the field of view of said zoom image, and said monitor displays only one image including the field of view of said zoom image at a time.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising storing a camera position.