Haptic manipulation system for wheelchairs
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A personal mobility device, comprising:
- a robotic arm mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof;
a single input device mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having an elongate hand grip operable by a user to move in a plurality of orthogonal directions;
at least one sensor configured to measure movement of the elongate hand grip in a plurality of orthogonal directions;
a control unit responsive to a plurality of sensor signals produced by the at least one sensor for generating output control signals configured to control movement, the control unit operable to implement at least three states comprising;
a first state in which the output control signals exclusively control a motion of a motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device;
a second state in which the output control signals exclusively control a motion of a robotic arm attached to the personal mobility device; and
a third state in which the output control signals automatically selectively control the motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device and the robotic arm; and
a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongate hand grip and electrically coupled to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to transition between the first, second and third states in response to a first user actuation of said user actuated sensor.
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Abstract
A robotic arm is mounted on a personal mobility device, such as a wheelchair, scooter or the like, and is controlled with a user input interface, also mounted on the personal mobility device. The user input interface has a grip operable by the user to move in a plurality of orthogonal directions, both spatially and angularly, having articulating arms supporting a housing with a pivot member.
125 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A personal mobility device, comprising:
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a robotic arm mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof; a single input device mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having an elongate hand grip operable by a user to move in a plurality of orthogonal directions; at least one sensor configured to measure movement of the elongate hand grip in a plurality of orthogonal directions; a control unit responsive to a plurality of sensor signals produced by the at least one sensor for generating output control signals configured to control movement, the control unit operable to implement at least three states comprising; a first state in which the output control signals exclusively control a motion of a motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device; a second state in which the output control signals exclusively control a motion of a robotic arm attached to the personal mobility device; and a third state in which the output control signals automatically selectively control the motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device and the robotic arm; and a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongate hand grip and electrically coupled to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to transition between the first, second and third states in response to a first user actuation of said user actuated sensor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A personal mobility device, comprising:
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a robotic arm mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof; a single input device mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having an elongate hand grip operable by a user to move in a plurality of orthogonal directions; a trigger disposed on the elongate hand grip so as to be physically displaceable by the user in a radial direction, transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate hand grip, where a position or velocity of the grasping device is controlled in accordance with a physical displacement of said trigger; at least one sensor configured to measure movement of the elongate hand grip in a plurality of orthogonal directions; a control unit responsive to a plurality of sensor signals produced by the at least one sensor for generating output control signals configured to control movement, the control unit operable to implement at least three states comprising; a first state in which the output control signals are configured to exclusively control a motion of a motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device; a second state in which the output control signals are configured to exclusively control a motion of a robotic arm attached to the personal mobility device; a third state in which the output control signals are configured to automatically selectively control the motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device and the robotic arm; and a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongate hand grip and electrically coupled to the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to transition between the first state, the second state and the third state in response to a first user actuation of said user actuated sensor.
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9. A method for controlling a personal mobility system comprising a motorized vehicle base and a robotic arm with a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof, comprising:
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determining movement of an elongate hand grip of a single input device in a plurality of orthogonal directions to generate corresponding first output control signals; determining physical displacement of a trigger disposed on the elongate hand grip by a user in a radial direction, transverse to a longitudinal axis of the elongate hand grip, to generate corresponding second output control signals for controlling a position or a velocity of the robotic gripper; transitioning between at least three states to control the personal mobility system in response to a first user actuation of a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongated hand grip, wherein when in a first state the first output control signals are generated to control the motorized vehicle base of the personal mobility system, when in the second state the first output control signals are generated to control the robotic arm of the personal mobility system, and when in a third state in which the first output control signals are used to automatically selectively control the motorized vehicle base and the robotic arm; and sending the first and second output control signals to the personal mobility system; wherein when in the first state the first output control signals are used to exclusively control the motorized vehicle base, and when in the second state the first output control signals are used to exclusively control the robotic arm.
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10. A method for controlling a personal mobility system comprising a motorized vehicle base and a robotic arm with a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof, comprising:
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determining movement of an elongate hand grip of a single input device in a plurality of orthogonal directions to generate corresponding first output control signals; transitioning between at least three states to control the personal mobility system in response to a first user actuation of a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongated hand grip, wherein when in a first state the first output control signals are generated to control the motorized vehicle base of the personal mobility system, when in a second state the first output control signals are generated to control the robotic arm of the personal mobility system, and when in a third state the first output control signals are generated to automatically and selectively control the motorized vehicle base of the personal mobility system and the robotic arm; and sending the first output control signals to the personal mobility system. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A personal mobility device, comprising:
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a robotic arm mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having a grasping device disposed at a distal end thereof; a single input device mechanically coupled to the personal mobility device and having an elongate hand grip operable by a user to move in a plurality of orthogonal directions, where the plurality of orthogonal directions include three orthogonal linear directions, and three orthogonal axes of rotation, for a total of six different directions; at least one sensor configured to measure movement of the single input device in said plurality of orthogonal directions; a control unit responsive to a plurality of sensor signals produced by the at least one sensor for generating output control signals configured to control movement of said robotic arm in said plurality of orthogonal directions; and a user actuated sensor disposed on said elongate hand grip and electrically coupled to the control unit so as to cause the control unit to transition between a first state, a second state and a third state in response to a user actuation of the user actuated sensor; wherein the output control signals are configured in the first state to exclusively control a motion of a motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device, configured in the second state to exclusively control a motion of a robotic arm attached to the personal mobility device, and configured in the third state to automatically and selectively control the motorized vehicle base portion of the personal mobility device and the robotic arm. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification