Weapon robot with situational awareness

• US 7,962,243 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chung, James, Bruck, Kurt, Kirillov, Alex, Young, John, Deguire, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLLOWAY, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/004,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20090164045A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 700/259, 700/262, 700/251, 901/1, 89/410.2, 89/411.8, 446/435, 342/357.25
• US Class Current: 700/259
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 17/08 for inhibiting firing in a specified direction, e.g. at a friendly person or at a protected area F41A27/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/165 using a TV-monitor
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/22 for vehicle-borne armament, e.g. on aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 5/06 using electric means for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 7/005 Unmanned ground vehicles, i.e. robotic, remote controlled or autonomous, mobile platforms carrying equipment for performing a military or police role, e.g. weapon systems or reconnaissance sensors F41H11/16 takes precedence
• 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 1/0044 by providing the operator with a computer generated representation of the environment of the vehicle, e.g. virtual reality, maps maps used for automatic navigation G05D1/0274; flight directors G01C23/005
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/00 Arrangements for transmitting signals characterised by the use of a wireless electrical link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/50 Receiving or transmitting feedback, e.g. replies, status updates, acknowledgements, from the controlled devices

Abstract

A mobile, remotely controlled robot includes a turret subsystem, a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire the weapon, a robot navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot, a turret orientation determination subsystem, and a robot communications subsystem for receiving commands and for transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data. An operator control unit includes a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and the weapon. An operator control unit communications subsystem transmits commands to the robot and receives robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot. An operator control unit navigation subsystem is configured to determine the position of the operator control unit. An operator control unit controller subsystem is responsive to the robot position data, the turret orientation data, and the operator control unit position and is configured to determine if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

Claims

1. A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising:

a mobile, remotely controlled robot including;

a turret subsystem,

a weapon mounted to the turret subsystem,

a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire the weapon,

a robot navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot,

a turret orientation determination subsystem, and

a robot communications subsystem for receiving commands and for transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data; and

an operator control unit including;

a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and the weapon,

an operator control unit communications subsystem for transmitting commands to the robot and for receiving robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot,

an operator control unit navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the operator control unit, and

an operator control unit controller subsystem responsive to the robot position data, turret orientation data, and the operator control unit position and configured to determine if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle, and

wherein the operator control unit controller subsystem is configured to take a predetermined action if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within the predetermined fan angle.

2. The robot system of claim 1 in which said action includes providing an alert to the user interface.

3. The robot system of claim 1 in which said action includes disabling any user interface weapon command so the weapon cannot be fired.

4. The robot system of claim 1 in which said predetermined fan angle is between 0°

and 10°

.

5. The robot system of claim 1 in which the user interface includes a monitor and the operator control unit controller subsystem is further configured to display on the monitor a graphical representation of the robot turret relative to the location of the operator control unit.

6. The robot system of claim 5 in which the operator control unit controller subsystem is further configured to display a graphical representation of the robot and the orientation of the turret relative to the robot.

7. The robot system of claim 5 in which the operator controller subsystem is further configured to display a graphical representation of the direction of the robot from the operator control unit.

8. The robot system of claim 5 in which the robot further includes at least one camera and a camera orientation determination subsystem, the operator control unit controller subsystem is responsive to the camera orientation determination subsystem and is configured to display a graphical representation of the orientation of the camera.

9. A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising:

a mobile, remotely controlled robot including;

a weapon mounted to the robot,

a robot controller subsystem configured to fire the weapon,

a weapon orientation determination subsystem, and

a robot communication subsystem for receiving commands and transmitting weapon orientation data; and

an operator control unit including;

a user interface for commanding the robot and the weapon,

a communication subsystem for transmitting commands to the robot and for receiving weapon orientation data from the robot; and

an operator control unit controller subsystem responsive to weapon orientation data and configured to determine if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit, and

wherein the operator control unit controller subsystem is configured to take a predetermined action if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

10. The system of claim 9 in which the weapon is mounted to the robot via a turret subsystem and the weapon orientation determination subsystem includes encoders which keep track of the position of the turret.

11. The system of claim 9 in which the robot further includes a navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot.

12. The system of claim 9 in which the operator control unit includes a navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the operator control unit.

13. A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising:

A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising;

a mobile, remotely controlled robot including;

a turret subsystem,

a weapon mounted to the turret subsystem,

a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire the weapon,

means for determining the position of the robot,

means for determining the orientation of the turret, and

a robot communication subsystem for receiving commands and transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data; and

an operator control unit including;

a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and

the weapon, a communication subsystem for transmitting commands to the robot and for receiving robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot,

means for determining the position of the operator control

unit, and

means for determining if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit responsive to the robot position data, turret orientation, and the operator control unit position,

wherein the operator control unit controller subsystem is configured to take a predetermined action if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

14. A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising:

a mobile, remotely controlled robot including;

a turret subsystem,

a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire a weapon,

a robot navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot,

a turret orientation determination subsystem, and

a robot communications subsystem for receiving commands and for transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data; and

an operator control unit including;

a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and the weapon and including a monitor;

an operator control unit communications subsystem for transmitting commands to the robot and for receiving robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot,

an operator control unit navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the operator control unit, and

an operator control unit controller subsystem responsive to the robot position data, turret orientation data, and the operator control unit position and configured to display on the monitor a graphical representation of the turret relative to the location of the operator control unit and a graphical representation of the robot and the orientation of the turret relative to the robot, and

wherein the operator control unit controller subsystem is configured to take a predetermined action if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

15. A mobile, remotely controlled robot system comprising:

a mobile, remotely controlled robot including;

a turret subsystem,

a robot controller subsystem configured to control the robot, control the turret, and fire the weapon,

a robot navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the robot,

a turret orientation determination subsystem, and

a robot communications subsystem for receiving commands and for transmitting robot position data and turret orientation data; and

an operator control unit including;

a user interface for commanding the robot, the turret, and the weapon,

an operator control unit communications subsystem for transmitting commands to the robot and for receiving robot position data and turret orientation data from the robot,

an operator control unit navigation subsystem configured to determine the position of the operator control unit, and

an operator control unit controller subsystem responsive to the robot position data, turret orientation data, and the operator control unit position and configured to take a predetermined action if the weapon is aimed at the operator control unit within a predetermined fan angle.

16. The robot system of claim 15 in which said action includes providing an alert to the user interface.

17. The robot system of claim 15 in which said action includes disabling any user interface weapon command so the weapon cannot be fired.