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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12518873-B2
Application number	US-202318492159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2023
Priority date	Mar 4, 2010
Publication date	Jan 6, 2026
Grant date	Jan 6, 2026

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A surgical mentoring system comprising:
a cart including: a first camera; a second camera; a speaker; a microphone; and an input device, wherein the second camera is coupled to the cart via a boom that includes one or more joints configured to allow a distance between a first end of the boom and a second end of the boom to be varied, the cart is configured to be coupled to a remote station via a network, the remote station including a camera, a monitor, a microphone, and a speaker, wherein the remote station is configured to display a user interface on the remote station monitor, the user interface includes a remote view field, a remote station view field, and a plurality of graphical controls, the plurality of graphical controls includes two or more of a control to selectively display video from the first camera or the second camera, a control to display a still image captured by the first camera or the second camera in the remote view field, a control to selectively display an image captured by the remote station camera on the cart monitor, and a control allowing a user of the remote station to annotate an image displayed on the cart monitor from the remote station, the station view field displays an image captured by the station camera, the station speaker reproduces a sound captured by the cart microphone, the station microphone captures a sound that is transmitted to and reproduced by the cart speaker, and the orientation of at least one of the first camera and the second camera is independently controlled via an input device of the remote station.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the two or more controls includes a switch that allows the user to select simultaneous display of video images from the first and second cameras.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the video images from both the first camera and the second camera are streamed to the remote station from the cart.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a height of the first camera is less than a height of the second camera.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the boom includes a handle that is used to move the second camera.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cart includes a processor and a hard drive.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein cart includes an input panel that allows a user to provide input.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the user interface includes a location display that provides the location of the cart.

9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the system includes a plurality of carts and the user interface includes a graphical input that is used to select and control a second cart.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said cart includes a second microphone.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more controls includes a control that allows a user to switch between the first microphone and the second microphone.

12 . A method for surgical mentoring, comprising:
displaying a user interface on a monitor of a remote station, the user interface including a remote view field, a station view field, and a plurality of graphical controls; establishing a communication session with a cart in proximity to a surgical field, the cart including a first camera, a second camera, a monitor, a microphone, a speaker, and an input device, wherein the second camera is coupled to the cart via a boom that includes one or more joints configured to allow a distance between a first end of the boom and a second end of the boom to be varied; displaying, in the station view field, an image captured by the station camera on the station monitor, reproducing, by the station speaker, a sound captured by the cart microphone; capturing, by the station microphone, a sound that is transmitted to and reproduced by the cart speaker; and controlling the orientation of at least one of the first camera and the second camera from the remote station, wherein the plurality of graphical controls includes controls for two or more of selectively displaying video from the first camera or the second camera in the remote view field in response to user input at the remote station, displaying a still image captured by one of the first camera or the second camera in the remote view field in response to user input at the remote station, selectively display an image captured by the remote station camera on the cart monitor, and annotating an image displayed on the cart monitor in response to user input at the remote station.

13 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising simultaneously displaying video images from the first and second cameras at the remote station.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving at the remote station video streams from both the first and second cameras.

15 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving input from an input panel of the cart at the remote station.

16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying a location display at the remote station that provides the location of the cart.

17 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying at the remote station a graphical input that is selected to select and control a second cart.

18 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising controlling the zoom of the first camera from the remote station in response to user input.

19 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising controlling the zoom of the second camera from the remote station in response to user input.

20 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform a method for automated health condition scoring, the method comprising:
displaying a user interface on a monitor of a remote station, the user interface including a remote view field, a station view field, and a plurality of graphical controls; establishing a communication session with a cart in proximity to a surgical field, the cart including a first camera, a second camera, a monitor, a microphone, a speaker, and an input device, wherein the second camera is coupled to the cart via a boom that includes one or more joints configured to allow a distance between a first end of the boom and a second end of the boom to be varied; displaying, in the station view field, an image captured by the station camera on the station monitor; reproducing, by the station speaker, a sound captured by the cart microphone; capturing, by the station microphone, a sound that is transmitted to and reproduced by the cart speaker; and controlling the orientation of at least one of the first camera and the second camera from the remote station, wherein the plurality of graphical controls includes controls for two or more of selectively displaying video from the first camera or the second camera in the remote view field in response to user input at the remote station, displaying a still image captured by one of the first camera or the second camera in the remote view field in response to user input at the remote station, selectively display an image captured by the remote station camera on the cart monitor, and annotating an image displayed on the cart monitor in response to user input at the remote station.

Assignees

• Teladoc Health Inc

Inventors

• Stuart David
• Sanchez Daniel Steven
• Lai Fuji
• Hanrahan Kevin
• Jordan Charles S
• Roe David
• Rosenthal James
• Mangaser Amante
• Whitney Blair
• Walters Derek

Classifications

• H04N7/142

  Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display · CPC title

• H04N5/265

  Mixing · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  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 title

• B25J9/1689

  Teleoperation · CPC title