Multi-robot control interface

• US 8,073,564 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2006
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Humatics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Bruemmer, David J., Walton, Miles C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, KYUNG J
• Application Number:
  US11/428,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20080009969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 324/5
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39448 Same teach pendant connects to many robot controllers over network
• 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: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour

Abstract

Methods and systems for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface include at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots with the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots. The user interface further includes a multi-robot common window comprised of information received from each of the plurality of robots.

Claims

1. A multi-robot control interface for controlling a plurality of robots, comprising a user interface, including:

at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of a respective one of the plurality of robots;

at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots; and

a multi-robot common window comprised of a fusion of information representing a collaborative workspace between at least one user and more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots, the collaborative workspace including map information added by the at least one user and map information received from the more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots and configured for presenting the fusion of information as a coherent picture of an emerging map of an environment of the plurality of robots.

2. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises status information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

3. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises sensor information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

4. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a video window including an image from the respective one of the plurality of robots and controls for adjusting the image.

5. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a robot window configured to receive robot directional movement commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

6. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises an autonomy control window configured to receive autonomy commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

7. The multi-robot control interface of claim 6, wherein the autonomy control window includes a plurality of selectable controls for specifying a respective degree of robot autonomy.

8. The multi-robot control interface of claim 1, wherein the at least one robot display window is configured to display the one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots as autonomously periodically transmitted by the respective one of the plurality of robots.

9. A method for controlling a plurality of robots through a control interface, comprising:

displaying at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots;

displaying at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots; and

displaying a multi-robot common window comprised of a fusion of information representing a collaborative workspace between at least one user and more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots, the collaborative workspace including map information added by the at least one user and map information received from the more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots as a coherent picture of an emerging map of an environment of the plurality of robots.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises status information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises sensor information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a video window including an image from the respective one of the plurality of robots and controls for adjusting the image.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a robot window configured to receive robot directional movement commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises an autonomy control window configured to receive autonomy commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the autonomy control window includes a plurality of selectable controls for specifying a respective degree of robot autonomy.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one robot display window is configured to display the one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots as autonomously periodically transmitted by the respective one of the plurality of robots.

17. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions thereon for controlling a plurality of robots through a control interface, the computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

displaying at least one robot display window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot display window illustrating one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots;

displaying at least one robot control window for each of the plurality of robots, the at least one robot control window configured to receive one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the plurality of robots; and

displaying a multi-robot common window comprised of a fusion of information representing a collaborative workspace between at least one user and more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots, the collaborative workspace including map information added by the at least one user and map information received from the more than one concurrently operating robots of the plurality of robots as a coherent picture of an emerging map of an environment of the plurality of robots.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises status information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot display window comprises sensor information relating to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a video window including an image from the respective one of the plurality of robots and controls for adjusting the image.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises a robot window configured to receive robot directional movement commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot control window comprises an autonomy control window configured to receive autonomy commands to be sent to the respective one of the plurality of robots.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the autonomy control window includes a plurality of selectable controls for specifying a respective degree of robot autonomy.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the at least one robot display window is configured to display the one or more conditions of the respective one of the plurality of robots as autonomously periodically transmitted by the respective one of the plurality of robots.

25. A method for controlling a plurality of robots through a single user interface, comprising:

receiving a first message including one or more conditions from a first robot of the plurality of robots;

displaying the one or more conditions in at least one first robot display window of the single user interface;

receiving a second message including one or more conditions from a second robot of the plurality of robots;

displaying the one or more conditions from the second robot in at least one second robot display window of the single user interface;

receiving map information from at least one user; and

displaying the map information from the at least one user and at least portions of the one or more conditions from the first robot and the second robot as fused information representing a collaborative workspace between the at least one user, the first robot, and the second robot, wherein the collaborative workspace is configured for presenting a coherent picture of an emerging map of an environment of the plurality of robots in a multi-robot common window of the single user interface.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein at least one of the first and second robot display windows comprises status information relating to the respective one of the first and second robots.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein at least one of the first and second robot display windows comprises sensor information relating to the respective one of the first and second robots.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

displaying at least one first robot control window and at least one second robot control window for each of the first and second robots, respectively, each of the at least one first robot control window and the at least one second robot control window configured for;

receiving one or more commands for sending to the respective one of the first and second robots; and

generating and transmitting a third message including the one or more commands to the respective one of the first and second robots.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein at least one of the first and second robot control windows comprises a video window including an image from the respective one of the first and second robots and controls for adjusting the image.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one of the first and second robot control windows comprises a robot window configured to receive robot directional movement commands to be sent to the respective one of the first and second robots.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the at least one of the first and second robot control windows comprises an autonomy control window configured to receive autonomy commands to be sent to the respective one of the first and second robots.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the autonomy control window includes a plurality of selectable controls for specifying a respective degree of robot autonomy.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one of the first and second robot display windows is configured to display the one or more conditions of the respective one of the first and second robots as autonomously periodically transmitted by the respective one of the first and second robots.