Remote presence system including a cart that supports a robot face and an overhead camera

• US 9,089,972 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2014
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teladoc Health, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Touch Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Stuart, David, Sanchez, Daniel Steven, Lai, Fuji, Hanrahan, Kevin, Jordan, Charles S., Roe, David, Rosenthal, James, Mangaser, Amante, Whitney, Blair, Walters, Derek
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/157,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20140135990A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 294/070.4, 294/50, 244/3.15, 348/14.05, 348/87, 348/135, 348/143, 348/14.16, 348/86, 381/122, 382/153, 700/247, 700/250, 700/259, 700/260, 705/2, 705/400, 705/1.1, 705/14.16, 706/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1697 Vision controlled systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A tele-presence system that includes a cart. The cart includes a robot face that has a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker, a robot microphone, and an overhead camera. The system also includes a remote station that is coupled to the robot face and the overhead camera. The remote station includes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a station microphone. The remote station can display video images captured by the robot camera and/or overhead camera. By way of example, the cart can be used in an operating room, wherein the overhead camera can be placed in a sterile field and the robot face can be used in a non-sterile field. The user at the remote station can conduct a teleconference through the robot face and also obtain a view of a medical procedure through the overhead camera.

Claims

1. A tele-presence system, comprising:

a cart, said cart includes a robot face that has a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker, a robot microphone, and an overhead camera; and

,

a remote station that is coupled to said robot face and said overhead camera, said remote station includes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a station microphone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote station can display a video image from either said robot camera or said overhead camera.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote station monitor simultaneously displays a video image from said robot camera and a video image from said overhead camera.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote station determines an optimal view of an object and displays a video image from said robot camera or said overhead camera, whichever provides said optimal view.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said robot camera automatically moves to capture a video image of a field of view that is at least substantially the same as a field of view of said overhead camera.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said overhead camera automatically moves to capture a video image of a field of view that is at least substantially the same as a field of view of said robot camera.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said cart includes an overhead microphone.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said remote station includes an input that allows a user to switch between said robot microphone and said overhead microphone.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said sound generated by said station speakers is automatically switched between said robot microphone or said overhead microphone based on a characteristic of sound captured by said robot and overhead microphones.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said cart includes an actuator that can vary a height of said robot face.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said cart includes an articulated arm that is coupled to and can move said robot face, and a boom that is coupled to said overhead camera.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said robot face includes an input panel and can be operated as a computer.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said articulated arm and said boom include position sensors.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein further comprising a laser pointer attached to said boom.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said cart boom includes a detachable handle.

16. A method for remotely viewing a field of view, comprising:

moving a cart, the cart includes a robot face that has a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker, a robot microphone, and an overhead camera; and

,

transmitting to a remote station a video image captured by the robot camera or a video image captured by the overhead camera, the remote station includes a station monitor, a station camera, a station speaker and a station microphone.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the video images captured by the robot and overhead cameras are both transmitted to the remote station.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote station monitor simultaneously displays the video image from the robot camera and the video image from the overhead camera.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the remote station determines an optimal view of an object and displays a video image from robot camera or the overhead camera, whichever provides the optimal view.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising automatically moving the robot camera to capture a video image of a field of view that is at least substantially the same as a field of view of the overhead camera.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising automatically moving the overhead camera to capture a video image of a field of view that is at least substantially the same as a field of view of the robot camera.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising capturing sound with an overhead microphone of the cart.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising selecting an input to switch between the robot microphone and the overhead microphone.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising automatically switching between the robot microphone and the overhead microphone based on a characteristic of the sound captured by the robot and overhead microphones.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising varying a height of the robot face.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the robot face is moved in two degrees of freedom.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the cart is moved within an operating room.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising moving the overhead camera above a sterile field.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising entering input into the robot face.

30. The method of claim 16, further comprising replacing a detachable handle of the cart.