SERVER CONNECTIVITY CONTROL FOR TELE-PRESENCE ROBOT

• US 20100131102A1
• Filed: 11/25/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Pinter, Marco, Jordan, Charles S., Whitney, Blair, Herzog, John Cody
• Granted Patent: US 9,138,891 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 11/00 Receptacles for purposes not provided for in groups A45C1/00-A45C9/00 specially adapted for toiletry or cosmetic equipment A45D29/20, A45D44/18; travelling sewing kits A45F3/48
• CPC Class Codes: A45C 2011/002 for portable handheld communication devices, e.g. mobile phone, pager, beeper, PDA, smart phone
• 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 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24158 Access only for service, hide, forbidden tamperfree keys, program
• 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: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1634 Integrated protective display lid, e.g. for touch-sensitive display in handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2834 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0013 assembled by resilient members
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/0086 : portable, e.g. battery operated apparatus casings for switching devices H01H9/02
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/061 : sealed by a gasket held between a removable cover and a body, e.g. O-ring, packing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/069 : Other details of the casing, e.g. wall structure, passage for a connector, a cable, a shaft
• 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, comprising:

a robot that has a camera;

a remote control station that can connect to said robot, said connection including a plurality of privileges;

a server that controls which privileges are provided to said remote control station; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to establish and edit said privileges.

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

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

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

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said privileges include an ability to participate in a session with another remote station.

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

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

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a plurality of robots and a plurality of remote control stations, said server includes a relational that list groups of remote stations that can connect to groups of said robots.

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

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

11. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a plurality of robots that each have a camera;

a plurality of remote control stations that can connect to said robots;

a server that contains a database that defines groups of said remote stations that can be connected to groups of said robots; and

,

a remote control station that can access said server to vary said groups of said remote stations that can be connected to groups of said robots.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said robot includes a monitor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said robot includes a mobile platform.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said relational database includes at least one connectivity rule.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said connectivity rule includes a time window to establish connectivity between one or more remote control stations and one or more robots.

16. A remote controller robot system, comprising:

a robot that has a camera;

a remote control station that can connect to said robot; and

,

a server that controls connectivity between said remote control station and said robot, said connectivity can be established with a user programmed time window.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said robot includes a monitor.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said robot includes a mobile platform.

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

setting at least one connectivity privilege through a manager control station;

connecting a remote control station with a robot that has a camera, the connection being limited to the connectivity privilege.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the privilege includes an ability to operate the robot.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the privilege includes an ability to participate in a session with another remote station.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the privilege includes an ability to view a video image captured by the robot camera.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting a video image captured by the robot camera to the remote control station.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting a video image captured by the robot camera to the remote control station.

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

setting a time window to establish a connection between a remote control station and a robot that has a camera;

connecting a remote control station with the robot at the beginning of the time window.