Interfacing with a mobile telepresence robot
Inventors
Wang, Yulun • Jordan, Charles S. • Wright, Tim • Chan, Michael • Pinter, Marco • Hanrahan, Kevin • Sanchez, Daniel • Ballantyne, James • Herzog, Cody • Whitney, Blair • Lai, Fuji • TEMBY, KELTON • Rauhut, Eben Christopher • Kearns, Justin H. • Wong, Cheuk Wah • Farlow, Timothy Sturtevant
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11289192-B2
Publication Date
2022-03-29
Expiration Date
Abstract
A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a plan view map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a plan view map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a telepresence robot that moves about a facility according to drive instructions generated by a control system. The robot includes an imaging system, a mapping module, a positioning system, and a communication system to provide a video feed to a remote terminal and to receive control commands. A navigation system generates a navigation path from a current position to a selected destination location, and the drive system moves the telepresence robot along the navigation path.
The mapping module accesses a map data source that includes a robot map representative of robot-navigable areas of the facility. The map data source further includes at least one tag having tag coordinates that identify a region within the robot-navigable areas, and a robot action modifier that provides instructions to execute a behavior when the telepresence robot is within a predetermined range of the tag coordinates. The tag also includes a tag annotation comprising a graphical icon displayable within a tagging view at the remote terminal, where the tagging view provides a plan view of the robot-navigable area and the tag annotation indicates a purpose or type of the tag.
The remote terminal displays the tagging view and allows a user to drag and drop a tag annotation for a new tag onto a point within the tagging view. In response, the remote terminal creates the new tag at a specific location of the robot map and determines the tag coordinates from the dropped point on the tagging view. When the telepresence robot is within the predetermined range of the tag coordinates of the new tag along the navigation path, the robot action modifier for the new tag executes the behavior associated with the new tag.
Claims Coverage
Independent claim clm-00001 sets out a telepresence robot architecture with a mapping module that uses tag coordinates and a robot action modifier to trigger behaviors during navigation, combined with a remote terminal tagging view that supports drag-and-drop creation of tag annotations mapped onto a plan-view robot map. The inventive features concentrate on tag-based behavior triggering based on a predetermined coordinate range, and a remote-terminal graphical tagging view with coordinate determination from a dragged annotation point.
Tag-based robot action modifier triggered by predetermined coordinate range
At least one tag comprises tag coordinates identifying a region within robot-navigable areas, and a robot action modifier providing instructions to execute a behavior when the telepresence robot is within a predetermined range of the tag coordinates.
Graphical tag annotation in a remote plan-view tagging view
A tag annotation comprises a graphical icon displayable within a tagging view of a remote terminal, the tagging view comprising plan view of a robot-navigable area of the facility, wherein the tag annotation indicates a purpose or type of the at least one tag.
Drag-and-drop tag creation with coordinates determined from the tagging view
The remote terminal allows a user to drag and drop a tag annotation for a new tag onto a point within the tagging view, and creates the new tag at a specific location of the robot map with tag coordinates determined from the point on the tagging view at which the tag annotation was dropped.
Navigation path to selected destination with behavior execution when entering tag range
A navigation system generates a navigation path from the current position to a selected destination location, and the drive system moves the telepresence robot along the navigation path such that, when the telepresence robot is within the predetermined range of the tag coordinates of the new tag, the robot action modifier provides instructions to execute the behavior associated with the new tag.
The claim coverage centers on a telepresence robot that navigates using control-generated drive instructions and a navigation path, while behaviors are executed based on tag coordinates. It further requires a remote terminal tagging view that displays plan-view tag annotations and enables drag-and-drop tag creation with coordinates derived from the selected point in the tagging view, so that newly created tags can trigger behavior when the robot enters the predetermined coordinate range.
Stated Advantages
Documented Applications
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