Method and System for Controlling a Remote Vehicle

• US 20160378111A1
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Published: 12/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Original Assignee: iRobot Corporation
• Inventors: Lenser, Scott R., Jones, Christopher Vernon, Yamauchi, Brian Masao
• Application Number:
  US14/044,249
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378111A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• 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 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/024 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0251 extracting 3D information from a plurality of images taken from different locations, e.g. stereo vision stereoscopic image analysis H04N13/00; depth recovery from images G06T7/593
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0272 comprising means for registering the travel distance, e.g. revolutions of wheels measuring distance traversed on the ground by vehicles, e.g. using odometers G01C22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A system for controlling one or more remote vehicles. The system includes an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles, a remote vehicle selection/detection window allowing the operator to see which remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and select among those vehicles to display a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the remote vehicle, and a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the remote vehicle selection/detection window. The map view window displays a map of a remote vehicle environment.

Claims

1. A system including an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising:

an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles detected by the operator control unit, the map view window displaying;

a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and

a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle;

set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and

indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map;

a remote vehicle status window allowing the operator to see which of the one or more remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and displaying a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the selected remote vehicle and allowing the operator to teleoperate the selected remote vehicle; and

a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the map view window.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each detected remote vehicle appears as an icon on the map of the remote vehicle environment, the icon indicating a location of the remote vehicle within the remote vehicle environment.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each remote vehicle icon is a different color.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each remote vehicle is represented by a button in the remote vehicle selection/detection window, the button for each remote vehicle matching the icon color for that vehicle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the map view window shows a status halo for each remote vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of:

a follow-path behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior;

a follow-waypoints behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior;

a follow-street behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior;

or a follow-perimeter behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of:

a follow-path behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior;

a follow-waypoints behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior;

a follow-street behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior;

or a follow-perimeter behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission commands comprise low-level teleoperation commands indicative of non-autonomous operation of the one or more remote vehicles.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission commands comprise intermediate level teleoperation commands including at least one directed command from the operator and at least one autonomous behavior.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission commands comprise high-level teleoperation commands indicative of autonomous behaviors.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein each remote vehicle comprises one or more sensors different from one or more sensors of another remote vehicle.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the map view window further displays a click control portion comprising at least one of a follow robot control, an edit path control, or a link control;

wherein the follow robot control allows the operator to instruct a first remote vehicle to follow a second remote vehicle;

wherein the edit path control allows the operator to change a path or add a segment to the path of the selected remote vehicle; and

wherein the link control allows the operator to select a leader remote vehicle and instruct any remaining remote vehicles to maintain a proximity to the leader remote vehicle.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the click control portion allows the operator to define a touch input as setting a waypoint on the map, wherein setting the waypoint commands each selected remote vehicle to travel to a position of the waypoint relative to the current position of the selected remote vehicle while autonomously avoiding obstacles.

2. (canceled)

6. -7. (canceled)

9. A method for controlling one or more remote vehicles by touching a screen, the method comprising:

launching a control application including an initial screen allowing touch navigation to a map view window, a remote vehicle availability window, and one or more remote vehicle detail windows, the map view window displaying;

a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and

a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle;

set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and

indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map;

selecting at least one remote vehicle to control via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle availability window;

issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and

issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of a remote vehicle detail window.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

issuing a first level of teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and

issuing a second level of teleoperation commands for the at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle detail window.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the current position of the at least one selected remote vehicle on the map is indicated by an icon and a status of the at least one selected remote vehicle is indicated by a colored halo surrounding the icon.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the remote vehicle availability window lists remote vehicles controllable via the control application.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the remote vehicle detail window includes status information regarding the at least one selected remote vehicle and allows touch-screen control of the at least one selected remote vehicle.

11. (canceled)