Server connectivity control for tele-presence robot

• US 9,381,654 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Herzog, John Cody, Whitney, Blair, Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Pinter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US13/894,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 19/023 including video camera means
• 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 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40153 Teleassistance, operator assists, controls autonomous robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40178 Distributed top, resource availability in network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40195 Tele-operation, computer assisted manual operation
• 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 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/47 Optical

Abstract

A robot system with a robot that has a camera and a remote control station that can connect to the robot. The connection can include a plurality of privileges. The system further includes a server that controls which privileges are provided to the remote control station. The privileges may include the ability to control the robot, joint in a multi-cast session and the reception of audio/video from the robot. The privileges can be established and edited through a manager control station. The server may contain a database that defines groups of remote control station that can be connected to groups of robots. The database can be edited to vary the stations and robots within a group. The system may also allow for connectivity between a remote control station at a user programmable time window.

Claims

1. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a robot that has a robot camera, a robot monitor, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

a remote control station that can establish a connection to said robot, said remote control station includes a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, said connection including one or more privileges that relate to access to said robot, said one or more privileges include the ability to host a multi-cast session with one or more other remote control stations;

a server that controls which of said one or more privileges that relate to access to said robot are provided to said remote control station; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to establish and edit said one or more privileges, wherein, when said connection is established, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, said station monitor displays an image captured by said robot monitor, said station speaker produces a sound captured by said robot microphone, and said robot speaker produces a sound captured by said station microphone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot includes a mobile platform.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability to operate said robot.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability to save media received from the robot.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability to view a video image captured by said robot camera.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability to hear audio captured by said robot microphone.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability for video captured by a control station camera to be displayed on said robot monitor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability for audio captured by a control station microphone to be played by the robot speaker.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary device that can be coupled to said robot, and said privileges include an ability to access said auxiliary device attached to said robot.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said server includes a privilege map that is transferred to said remote control station.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a plurality of robots and a plurality of remote control stations, said server includes a database that lists groups of remote stations that can connect to groups of said robots.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said connection between said remote control station and said robot is established by a time window.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said server provides a user interface that allows one or more connectivity rules to be subtracted.

14. A method for connecting a remote control station to a robot, comprising:

setting one or more connectivity privileges through a manager control station, the one or more connectivity privileges relating to access to a robot that has a robot camera, a robot monitor, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

connecting a remote control station with the robot, said remote control station including a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, the connection being limited to the one or more connectivity privileges, said one or more connectivity privileges include the ability to host a multi-cast session with one or more other remote control stations; and

,

editing the one or more connectivity privileges, wherein, when said remote control station and said robot are connected, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, said station monitor displays an image captured by said robot monitor, said station speaker produces a sound captured by said robot microphone, and said robot speaker produces a sound captured by said station microphone.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the privilege includes an ability to operate the robot.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the privilege includes an ability to save media received from said robot.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the privilege includes an ability to view video captured by the robot camera.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting video captured by the robot camera to the remote control station.