Telepresence robot with a camera boom

• US 8,996,165 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Wang, Yulun, Jordan, Charles S., Hanrahan, Kevin, Sanchez, Daniel Steven, Pinter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): BEHNCKE, CHRISTINE M
• Application Number:
  US12/210,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20100100240A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,352 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/14.02, 348/14.05, 348/14.09, 348/77, 348/143, 348/144, 348/159, 348/207.1, 348/211.3, 348/373, 348/552, 600/418, 600/300, 600/301, 352/243, 378/4, 378/196, 378/197, 378/198, 312/215, 700/245, 700/259
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7465 Arrangements for interactive communication between patient and care services, e.g. by using a telephone network telemetry of measured physiological signal A61B5/0002
• 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: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A remote controlled robot with a head that supports a monitor and is coupled to a mobile platform. The mobile robot also includes an auxiliary camera coupled to the mobile platform by a boom. The mobile robot is controlled by a remote control station. By way of example, the robot can be remotely moved about an operating room. The auxiliary camera extends from the boom so that it provides a relatively close view of a patient or other item in the room. An assistant in the operating room may move the boom and the camera. The boom may be connected to a robot head that can be remotely moved by the remote control station.

Claims

1. A remote controlled robot that can participate in a communication session with a remote control station having a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, the robot comprising:

a mobile platform capable of maneuvering about a surface of a facility at a first location in response to movement commands received from said remote control station at a second location via a broadband network;

a head coupled to said mobile platform, said head supports a robot monitor and a first robot camera having a field of view that is substantially perpendicular to said surface;

a robot microphone coupled to said mobile platform;

a robot speaker coupled to said mobile platform and,

a second robot camera coupled to said mobile platform and having a field of view that is substantially parallel to said surface, wherein during said communication session said station monitor displays a display user interface that displays an image captured by said first robot camera and an image captured by said second robot camera, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, said station speaker reproduces a sound captured by said robot microphone, said robot speaker reproduces a sound captured by said station microphone, and said remote control station generates said movement commands in response to operation of an input device of said remote control station.

2. The robot of claim 1, wherein said second robot camera is coupled to said mobile platform via a boom.

3. The robot of claim 2, wherein said boom has at least one passive joint.

4. The robot of claim 2, wherein said boom is connected to said head.

5. The robot of claim 4, wherein said head moves in at least two degrees of freedom.

6. The robot of claim 2, wherein said camera is coupled to said boom by a quick release mechanism.

7. The robot of claim 1, wherein said display user interface simultaneously displays the images from said first and second robot cameras.

8. A remote controlled robot system, comprising:

a mobile robot in a facility at a first location, said mobile robot is capable of participating in a communication session with a remote control station at a second location, said remote control station includes a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, said mobile robot includes;

a mobile platform capable of maneuvering about a surface of said facility in response to movement commands received from said remote control station via a broadband network;

a head coupled to said mobile platform that supports a robot monitor and a first robot camera having a field of view that is substantially perpendicular to said surface;

a robot microphone coupled to said mobile platform;

a robot speaker coupled to said mobile platform and,

a second robot camera coupled to said mobile platform and having a field of view that is substantially parallel to said surface, wherein during said communication session said mobile robot station monitor displays a display user interface that displays an image captured by said first robot camera and an image captured by said second robot camera, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, said station speaker reproduces a sound captured by said robot microphone, said robot speaker reproduces a sound captured by said station microphone, and said remote control station generates said movement commands in response to operation of an input device of said remote control station.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said second robot camera is coupled to said mobile platform via a boom.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said boom has at least one passive joint.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said boom is connected to said head.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said head moves in at least two degrees of freedom.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein said display user interface simultaneously displays the images from said first and second robot cameras.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said display user interface includes a graphical element that can be selected to change a display of the image captured by said second robot camera.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein said display user interface includes a robot view field, a station view field and an auxiliary view field.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein an image from said first robot camera is displayed in said robot view field.

17. The robot of claim 16, wherein an image from said second robot camera is displayed in said auxiliary view field.

18. The robot of claim 17, wherein said image captured by said station camera is displayed in said station view field.

19. A method for controlling a mobile robot in a facility at a first location using a remote control station at second location, comprising:

establishing a communication session with said mobile robot via a broadband network, said robot having a mobile platform that can move about a surface of said facility;

transmitting movement commands from said remote control station to said mobile robot via said broadband network, said mobile robot includes a head that supports a robot monitor and a first robot camera having a field of view that is substantially perpendicular to said surface, mobile robot further includes a second robot camera having a field of view that is substantially parallel to said surface, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

displaying a display user interface that displays images from said first and second robot cameras on a monitor of the remote control station;

reproducing sound captured by said robot microphone via a speaker of said remote control station;

transmitting an image captured by a camera of said remote control station to said mobile robot to be displayed on said robot monitor;

transmitting sound captured by a microphone of said remote control station to said mobile robot to be reproduced by said robot speaker; and

,

generating said movement commands based on operation of an input device of said remote station.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising changing a display of an image from said second robot camera in response to selection of a graphical element included in said display user interface.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the images transmitted from the first and second robot cameras and the image captured by the station camera are simultaneously displayed in a display user interface of the remote control station.

22. A remote controlled robotic system that can participate in a communication session with a remote control station having a station camera, a station monitor, a station microphone, and a station speaker, the remote controlled robotic system comprising:

a mobile platform that can move about a surface of a facility at a first location in response to movement commands from said remote control station at a second location received via a broadband network;

a robot head coupled to said mobile platform, said robot head supports a monitor, a first robot camera having a field of view that is substantially perpendicular to said surface, a second robot camera having a field of view of that is substantially parallel to said surface, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker,

wherein during said communication session said remote control station displays a display user interface on said station monitor that can simultaneously display the image captured by said first robot camera and the image captured by said second robot cameras, said robot monitor displays an image captured by said station camera, said robot speaker reproduces a sound captured by said station microphone, said station speaker reproduces a sound captured by said robot microphone, and said remote control station generates said movement commands in response to operation of an input device of said remote control station.

23. The robotic system of claim 22, wherein said second robot camera is coupled to said head via a boom.

24. The robotic system of claim 23, wherein said boom has at least one passive joint.

25. The robotic system of claim 23, wherein said robot head moves in at least two degrees of freedom.

26. The robotic system of claim 23, wherein said second camera is coupled to said boom by a quick release mechanism.

27. The robotic system of claim 22, wherein said remote control station displays a graphical element that can be selected to change a display of an image captured by said robot second camera.

28. A method for controlling a robotic system including a mobile robot in a facility at a first location and a remote control station at a second location, comprising:

establishing a communication session with said mobile robot via a broadband network, said mobile robot having a mobile platform that can move about a surface of said facility;

transmitting movement commands from said remote control station to said mobile robot via a broadband network, said mobile robot includes a head that supports a robot monitor and a first robot camera having a field of view that is substantially perpendicular to said surface, said mobile robot further includes a second robot camera having a field of view that is substantially parallel to said surface, a robot microphone, and a robot speaker;

displaying a display user interface that simultaneously displays images from said first and second robot cameras on a monitor of the remote control station;

reproducing sound captured by said robot microphone via a speaker of the remote control station;

transmitting sound captured by a microphone of said remote control station to said mobile robot to be reproduced by said robot speaker;

transmitting an image captured by a camera of said remote control station to said mobile robot to be displayed on said robot monitor; and

,

generating said movement commands based on operation of an input device of the remote control station.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising changing a display of an image captured by said second robot camera in response to selection of a graphical element included in said display user interface.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said display user interface simultaneously displays said image captured by the camera of said remote control station and said images captured by said first and second robot cameras.