Robotic system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10531930-B2
Application number	US-201414908166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2014
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2020
Grant date	Jan 14, 2020

Abstract

A robot system comprises a base (2), a robot arm (1) connected to the base, a camera (10), at least one objective lens in the camera (10) being movable with the robot arm (1), and a screen (16). A control unit (15) is configured to detect a change in the distance between an object (21) detected by the camera (10) and the objective lens, and to vary the zoom factor of a zoom function of the camera (10) according to the change in distance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A robotic system comprising:
a base ( 2 );
at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ) connected with the base;
an imaging camera ( 10 ), coupled to said robotic arm, and configured for providing images, wherein at least a lens ( 24 ) of the imaging camera ( 10 ) can be moved with the at least a first robotic arm ( 1 );
a display screen ( 16 ), configured for displaying the images supplied by said imaging camera ( 10 );
a user interface ( 17 ), for generating external commands for controlling movement of said at least a robotic arm ( 1 );
at least one of a proximity sensor ( 18 ) and a proximity detecting camera ( 19 ), for detecting the approach of a foreign body ( 25 ) in a vicinity of the at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ), and
a control unit ( 15 ), coupled to said at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ), to said user interface ( 17 ), to said at least one of a proximity sensor ( 18 ) and a proximity detecting camera ( 19 ) and to said display screen ( 16 ), and configured to control a zoom factor of a zoom function of the imaging camera ( 10 ), and to control movements of the at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ) based on said external commands without varying said zoom factor of said zoom function of the camera ( 10 ), and wherein the control unit ( 15 ) is responsive to said at least one of a proximity sensor ( 18 ) and a proximity detecting camera ( 19 ), for detecting the approach of a foreign body ( 25 ), and responsive to said detecting the approach of a foreign body ( 25 ) in a vicinity or the at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ), and without reference to said user interface generated external commands, for controlling an evasive movement of the at least a first robotic arm ( 1 ) in which the lens ( 24 ) is moved in the direction of its optical axis, and to register a change in a distance (d) between an object ( 21 ) captured by the imaging camera ( 10 ) and the lens ( 24 ) and to vary the zoom factor of the imaging camera ( 10 ) according to the change in distance (d) so as to keep the size of the object ( 21 ) in an image output by the imaging camera ( 10 ) constant independent of the distance (d) between the lens ( 24 ) and the object ( 21 ) and without a user interface generated external commands.

2. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the lens ( 24 ) has a focal length which can be adjusted by the control unit ( 15 ).

3. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the imaging camera ( 10 ) includes an image processing unit ( 20 ) which is configured to output a raw image recorded by the imaging camera ( 10 ) with variable scale.

4. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the control unit ( 15 ) is configured to select the object ( 21 ) in a plane ( 27 ) on which the imaging camera ( 10 ) is focused.

5. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the lens ( 24 ) is rotatable around its optical axis by the robotic arm ( 1 ) and wherein an image processing unit ( 20 ) is coupled to the imaging camera ( 10 ) and configured to output a raw image ( 23 ) supplied by the imaging camera ( 10 ) that is rotated in an opposite direction to rotation of the lens ( 24 ).

6. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the control unit ( 15 ) is connected with a second robotic arm and is configured, on detecting a convergence of the at least a first and the second robotic arms, to control an evasive movement of at least one of the at least a first and the second robotic arm.

7. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the control unit ( 15 ) is configured to vary the zoom factor of the imaging camera ( 10 ) if a movement of the lens ( 24 ) in the direction of its optical axis is an evasive movement, and not to vary the zoom factor if the movement of the lens ( 24 ) in the direction of its optical axis is caused through an external command.

8. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the control unit ( 15 ) is configured to control a rotation of the lens ( 24 ) around its optical axis as an evasive movement.

9. The robotic system according to claim 5 , characterised in that the image processing unit ( 20 ) is configured to rotate the raw image ( 23 ) if a rotation of the imaging camera ( 10 ) around the optical axis of the lens ( 24 ) is an evasive movement, and not to rotate the raw image ( 23 ) if the rotation of the imaging camera ( 10 ) around the optical axis of the lens ( 24 ) is caused through an external command.

10. The robotic system according to claim 1 , characterised in that the imaging camera ( 10 ) is part of an endoscope ( 7 ).

11. The robotic system according to claim 10 , characterised in that the optical axis of the lens ( 24 ) coincides with a longitudinal axis of the endoscope ( 7 ).

Assignees

• Abb Gomtec Gmbh
• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Gombert Bernd
• BOCK-KRAUSEN Leopold

Classifications

• A61B1/045

  Control thereof · CPC title

• A61B90/361

  Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras · CPC title

• G02B23/2438

  Zoom objectives · CPC title

• A61B2090/061

  for measuring dimensions, e.g. length · CPC title

• A61B1/00188

  with focusing or zooming features · CPC title