Method and System for Controlling a Remote Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016378111-A1
Application number	US-201314044249-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Dec 30, 2005
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for controlling one or more remote vehicles. The system includes an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles, a remote vehicle selection/detection window allowing the operator to see which remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and select among those vehicles to display a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the remote vehicle, and a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the remote vehicle selection/detection window. The map view window displays a map of a remote vehicle environment.

First claim

1 . A system including an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising:
an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles detected by the operator control unit, the map view window displaying:
a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and
a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle:
set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and
indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map;

a remote vehicle status window allowing the operator to see which of the one or more remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and displaying a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the selected remote vehicle and allowing the operator to teleoperate the selected remote vehicle; and a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the map view window.

2 . (canceled)

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each detected remote vehicle appears as an icon on the map of the remote vehicle environment, the icon indicating a location of the remote vehicle within the remote vehicle environment.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein each remote vehicle icon is a different color.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein each remote vehicle is represented by a button in the remote vehicle selection/detection window, the button for each remote vehicle matching the icon color for that vehicle.

6 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the map view window shows a status halo for each remote vehicle.

9 . A method for controlling one or more remote vehicles by touching a screen, the method comprising:
launching a control application including an initial screen allowing touch navigation to a map view window, a remote vehicle availability window, and one or more remote vehicle detail windows, the map view window displaying:
a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and
a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle:
set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and
indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map;

selecting at least one remote vehicle to control via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle availability window; issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of a remote vehicle detail window.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
issuing a first level of teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and issuing a second level of teleoperation commands for the at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle detail window.

11 . (canceled)

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the current position of the at least one selected remote vehicle on the map is indicated by an icon and a status of the at least one selected remote vehicle is indicated by a colored halo surrounding the icon.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the remote vehicle availability window lists remote vehicles controllable via the control application.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the remote vehicle detail window includes status information regarding the at least one selected remote vehicle and allows touch-screen control of the at least one selected remote vehicle.

15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of: a follow-path behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; a follow-waypoints behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; a follow-street behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; or a follow-perimeter behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior.

16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of: a follow-path behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; a follow-waypoints behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; a follow-street behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; or a follow-perimeter behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior.

17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise low-level teleoperation commands indicative of non-autonomous operation of the one or more remote vehicles.

18 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise intermediate level teleoperation commands including at least one directed command from the operator and at least one autonomous behavior.

19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise high-level teleoperation commands indicative of autonomous behaviors.

20 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each remote vehicle comprises one or more sensors different from one or more sensors of another remote vehicle.

21 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the map view window further displays a click control portion comprising at least one of a follow robot control, an edit path control, or a link control;
wherein the follow robot control allows the operator to instruct a first remote vehicle to follow a second remote vehicle; wherein the edit path control allows the operator to change a path or add a segment to the path of the selected remote vehicle; and wherein the link control allows the operator to select a leader remote vehicle and instruct any remaining remote vehicles to maintain a proximity to the leader remote vehicle.

22 . The system of claim 21 , wherein the click control portion allows the operator to define a touch input as setting a waypoint on the map, wherein setting the waypoint commands each selected remote vehicle to travel to a position of the waypoint relative to the current position of the selected remote vehicle while autonomously avoiding obstacles.

Assignees

• Irobot Corp

Inventors

• Lenser Scott R
• Jones Christopher Vernon
• Yamauchi Brian Masao

Classifications

• H04L67/125

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• G05D1/0088

  characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours (using knowledge based models G06N5/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G05D1/0027

  involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling (fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00) · CPC title

• G05D1/0038 Primary

  by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation (images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246) · CPC title