Methods, apparatuses and computer program products for utilizing near field communication to guide robots

• US 8,694,162 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: McKesson Automation Incorporated (Omnicell Inc)
• Inventors: Jaynes, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US12/973,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20120158235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/257
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1656 characterised by programming, planning systems for manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/42 Recording and playback systems, i.e. in which the programme is recorded from a cycle of operations, e.g. the cycle of operations being manually controlled, after which this record is played back on the same machine
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31197 Near field communication nfc
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33199 Transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0261 using magnetic plots

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for determining a path or route in which a robot may be guided to perform a task(s) and avoiding one or more obstacles or obstructions. The apparatus includes at least one memory and at least one processor configured to receive origin location information via a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag associated with a key in an instance in which the key is positioned in an origin location. The processor is also configured to receive target location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in a target location, at which a task is performed by a robot and may generate a route for the robot to traverse in order to complete the task based in part on the origin location information and the target location information. Corresponding computer program products and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving origin location information via a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag associated with a key in an instance in which the key is positioned in an origin location;

receiving target location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in a target location, at which a task is performed by a robot; and

generating, via a processor, a route for the robot to traverse in order to complete the task based in part on the origin location information and the target location information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the origin location information and the target location information further comprises receiving the origin location information and the target location information via a NFC reader in an instance in which the NFC reader is within proximity of the NFC tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the NFC tag comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and wherein the NFC reader comprises an RFID reader.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the origin location information and the target location information further comprises receiving the origin location information and the target location information via two or more NFC tags associated with the key.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the key corresponds to an object on or with which the robot performs the task.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving obstacle location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in proximity of an obstacle, wherein the obstacle location information is used, in part, to generate the route.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving target location information for each of a plurality of target locations at which the robot performs one or more tasks, wherein the target location information is received via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned at each target location.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein a number of the NFC tags corresponds to a number of degrees of freedom associated with the robot.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the target location information for one or more of the target locations is used, in part, to generate the route for the robot to traverse in order to complete at least one task at each of the one or more target locations.

10. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer executable program code instructions comprising:

program code instructions configured to cause receipt of origin location information via a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag associated with a key in an instance in which the key is positioned in an origin location;

program code instructions configured to cause receipt of target location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in a target location, at which a task is performed by a robot; and

program code instructions configured to generate a route for the robot to traverse in order to complete the task based in part on the origin location information and the target location information.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein receipt of the origin location information and the target location information further comprises causing receipt of the origin location information and the target location information via a NFC reader in an instance in which the NFC reader is within proximity of the NFC tag.

12. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to cause the apparatus to;

receive origin location information via a Near Field Communication (NFC) tag associated with a key in an instance in which the key is positioned in an origin location;

receive target location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in a target location, at which a task is performed by a robot; and

generate a route for the robot to traverse in order to complete the task based in part on the origin location information and the target location information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein receive the origin location information and the target location information further comprises receiving the origin location information and the target location information via a NFC reader in an instance in which the NFC reader is within proximity of the NFC tag.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the NFC tag comprises a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag and wherein the NFC reader comprises an RFID reader.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein receive the origin location information and the target location information further comprises receiving the origin location information and the target location information via two or more NFC tags associated with the key.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein a number of the NFC tags corresponds to a number of degrees of freedom associated with the robot.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the key corresponds to an object on or with which the robot performs the task.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive obstacle location information via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned in proximity of an obstacle, wherein the obstacle location information is used, in part, to generate the route.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the apparatus to:

receive target location information for each of a plurality of target locations at which the robot performs one or more tasks, wherein the target location information is received via the NFC tag associated with the key in an instance in which the key is positioned at each target location.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the target location information for one or more of the target locations is used, in part, to generate the route for the robot to traverse in order to complete at least one task at each of the one or more target locations.