Tele-presence robot system with multi-cast features

• US 10,878,960 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2017
• Issued: 12/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Pinter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US15/837,813
• Publication Number:
  US 20180286512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 715716, 715750, 715751, 715753, 715755, 715756, 715758, 715759
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40136 Stereo audio and vision
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40146 Telepresence, teletaction, sensor feedback from slave to operator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40169 Display of actual situation at the remote site
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40174 Robot teleoperation through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45117 Medical, radio surgery manipulator
• 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: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a remote controlled robot system that includes a robot view field that displays information provided by a robot and an observer view field that display observer information about one or more observers that can receive the robot information. The interface has various features that allow a master user to control the observation and participation of the observers.

Claims

1. A telepresence device system, comprising:

a telepresence device including a telepresence device camera and a telepresence device monitor;

a first user device that is coupled to and controls a movement the telepresence device, the first user device includes a camera and a monitor that displays a user interface including a remote view field that displays video provided by the telepresence device camera;

a second user device that is coupled to the telepresence device, the second user device includes a camera and a monitor that displays video provided by the telepresence device camera, wherein the user interface displayed at the first user device includes an observer view field that displays observer information about an observer at the second user device, a selectable feature that allows a user of the first user device to transfer control of the movement of the telepresence device to the second user device while continuing to display video provided by the telepresence device at the first user device, and wherein the telepresence device monitor displays an image provided by the camera of the first user device and not the second user device when the first user device controls the telepresence device and displays an image provided by the camera of the second user device and not the first user device when the second user device controls the telepresence device.

2. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a local view field that displays video provided by the camera of the first user device.

3. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising one or more messages that allow an observer to join a session.

4. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that controls a transmission of audio from the second user device to the telepresence device.

5. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that controls a transmission of video from the second user device to the telepresence device.

6. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that controls a transmission of audio from the telepresence device to the second user device.

7. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that controls a transmission of video from the telepresence device to the second user device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the movement of the telepresence device is a movement of a camera on the telepresence device.

9. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that allows the second user device to receive instrument data from an instrument coupled to the telepresence device.

10. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that allows the second user device to annotate the video provided by the telepresence device, the annotation being displayed in the remote view field.

11. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that disconnects the second user device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the observer view field displays a video image provided by the second user device.

13. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a dialog box that displays a system bandwidth usage and allows a user to vary the system bandwidth usage.

14. The system of claim 1, the user interface further comprising a selectable feature that allows communication only between the first and second user devices.