Server connectivity control for tele-presence robot

• US 8,463,435 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2009
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Herzog, John Cody, Whitney, Blair, Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Pinter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Application Number:
  US12/349,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,617 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700248-250, 700/258, 700/259, 726/1, 726/2, 726/6, 713/155, 901/1, 901/46, 901/50
• US Class Current: 700/248
• 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 5/007 mounted on wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40153 Teleassistance, operator assists, controls autonomous robot
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40178 Distributed top, resource availability in network
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40195 Tele-operation, computer assisted manual operation
• 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: 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 robot system, comprising:

a plurality of robots that each have a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a plurality of M number of remote control stations that can connect to said robots, each of the control stations having a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a server that contains a database that defines a group of said remote control stations that can be connected to a group of said robots, said group of remote stations including N number of remote stations that is less than M; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to vary said group of said remote stations that can be connected to said group of said robots,

wherein, when a first remote control station of said group of remote control stations is connected to a first robot of said group of robots, the monitor of said first remote control station displays an image captured by the camera of said first robot, the monitor of said first robot displays an image captured by the camera of said first remote control station, the speaker of said first remote station reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first robot, and the speaker of said first robot reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first remote control station.

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

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said database includes at least one connectivity rule.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a connectivity rule that includes a time window to establish connectivity between one or more remote control stations and one or more robots.

5. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a plurality of robots that each have a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a plurality of remote control stations that can connect to said robots, each of the control stations having a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a server that contains a database that defines groups, each group including one or more said remote control stations that can be connected to one or more of said robots; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to add or subtract remote stations and robots to or from a group,

wherein, when a first remote control station of said group of remote control stations is connected to a first robot of said group of robots, the monitor of said first remote control station displays an image captured by the camera of said first robot, the monitor of said first robot displays an image captured by the camera of said first remote control station, the speaker of said first remote station reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first robot, and the speaker of said first robot reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first remote control station.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a user interface that includes fields that allow for said addition or subtraction of remote stations and robots within a group.

7. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a plurality of robots that each have a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a plurality of remote control stations that can connect to said robots, each of the control stations having a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker;

a server that contains a database that defines groups and sub-groups, each group and sub-group including one or more said remote control stations that can be connected to one or more of said robots, said database including one or more connectivity privileges for said groups and sub-groups; and

,

a manager control station that can access said server to add or subtract connectivity privileges for one or more remote stations or one or more robots within a group or a sub-group,

wherein, when a first remote control station of said group of remote control stations is connected to a first robot of said group of robots, the monitor of said first remote control station displays an image captured by the camera of said first robot, the monitor of said first robot displays an image captured by the camera of said first remote control station, the speaker of said first remote station reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first robot, and the speaker of said first robot reproduces a sound captured by the microphone of said first remote control station.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a user interface that includes fields that allow for said addition or subtraction of said connectivity privileges.