A geriatric care robot, system and special sickbed

Abstract

The application discloses an old-age care robot, a system and a special sickbed. The disclosed intelligent old-age care system comprises an old-age care robot and a support base. The old-age care robot comprises a mobile robot and a force tactile mechanical arm installed on the mobile robot. The support base is fixedly installed on the ground or a sickbed. A connecting device is arranged between the old-age care robot and the support base to realize locking and unlocking between the old-age care robot and the support base. The application has the advantages of being capable of performing care tasks of force interaction with people and realizing more care functions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of elderly care technology, and in particular to an elderly care robot, system, and special hospital bed. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing elderly population and the growing number of disabled and semi-disabled individuals, the demand for long-term care service personnel is growing. As robotics technology continues to develop, robots are gradually entering the elderly care industry. Elderly care robots, acting as assistants to caregivers, can improve the efficiency of caregivers and represent a significant market opportunity.

[0003] There are three main types of existing elderly care robots: one is mobile robots, such as the technical solutions disclosed in patent documents CN110405789B and CN113334345A. These robots cannot perform care tasks and mainly function as companions, patrols, and voice and video interaction. The other type involves installing one or two robotic arms on a mobile platform, such as the solutions disclosed in patent documents CN108724209A and CN108994809A, as well as the low-cost solution launched by Hello Robot (patent publication number US11820013) and Google's Everyday Robot (patent publication number US10913151). These robots not only have the functions of mobile robots but can also perform some simple life assistance tasks. However, due to their small footprint and poor anti-tipping ability, these robots are difficult to perform care tasks that require strong interaction with people (such as helping people get out of bed). While some foreign research institutions have developed dual-armed mobile robots capable of transferring people, such as Japan's RIBA and Germany's PR2, these robots are very heavy and occupy a large area, making them difficult to apply in real-world scenarios. The third type is robots integrated with hospital beds, such as the system described in patent publication number US9814640 and the document "ARobotic System to Anchor a Patient in a Lateral Position and Reduce Nurses' Physical Strain." These robots can perform care tasks around the hospital bed, such as changing and maintaining the patient's position and feeding them. However, these robots require rails to be installed on both sides of the bed or suspended from the ceiling above the bed, necessitating significant modifications to the bed or environment, and occupying a large area, making them difficult to use in practice. Summary of the Invention

[0004] On the one hand, this application provides an elderly care robot that can provide elderly care functions for users. The technical solution is: an elderly care robot, which is a composite robot, including a mobile robot and one or two force-tactile robotic arms installed on the mobile robot, wherein the force-tactile robotic arms are equipped with replaceable end effectors; The mobile robot is equipped with a first connecting device, which is used to fix the mobile robot to a fixed object.

[0005] Furthermore, the first connecting device includes a first positioning device and an electromagnetic fixing device, wherein the first positioning device is used to position itself with the fixed object, and the electromagnetic fixing device is used to fix itself with the fixed object.

[0006] Furthermore, the first connection device also includes a charging interface and a network communication interface, used to charge the elderly care robot and establish a network connection when the robot is connected to a fixed object.

[0007] Furthermore, the elderly care robot is equipped with one or more of the following: a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a breathing light, a facial recognition module, and a voice recognition module; the mobile robot is equipped with Mecanum wheels.

[0008] The elderly care robot provided in this application can perform functions such as safety monitoring, proactive reminders, danger warnings, daily patrols, social companionship, and item retrieval, thus fulfilling the tasks of daily elderly care. When the first connecting device is fixed to a fixed object, it can provide support for the robot, thereby enabling the elderly care robot to perform interactive tasks and carry out more care tasks.

[0009] On the other hand, this application provides an intelligent elderly care system that possesses good resilience when performing elderly care tasks, thereby enabling it to perform care tasks with strong human interaction and achieve more care functions. The technical solution is as follows: An intelligent elderly care system, comprising: Elderly care robots as described above; The support base is installed on the ground or a hospital bed. The support base is equipped with a second connecting device. The elderly care robot and the support base are locked and unlocked through the first connecting device and the second connecting device. When the elderly care robot performs care tasks around the hospital bed, it connects to the support base, and the first connection device and the second connection device are locked.

[0010] Furthermore, the first connecting device is mounted on the mobile robot or force-sensitive robotic arm; the second connecting device includes a second positioning device that matches the first positioning device and a fixing component that matches the electromagnetic fixing device; the second positioning device is equipped with a charging interface and a network cable communication interface. When the elderly care robot is locked to the support base, the support base charges the elderly care robot through the charging interface and communicates with the elderly care robot through the network cable communication interface.

[0011] Furthermore, the support base is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with sensors installed on the hospital bed and the patient's wearable sensors.

[0012] Furthermore, the system also includes an edge computing module, with the Bluetooth gateway in the support base communicating with the edge computing module, and the elderly care robot communicating with the edge computing module.

[0013] Furthermore, the system is also configured with a cloud server and / or a mobile terminal, wherein the cloud server is connected to the edge computing module and the mobile terminal is connected to the edge computing module.

[0014] The intelligent elderly care system provided in this application can not only fulfill the tasks of daily life elderly care, but also provide services such as nursing and rehabilitation around the hospital bed for long-term bedridden patients. It can assist bedridden patients in transferring from the hospital bed, maintaining their position, or assisting them with rehabilitation training in bed.

[0015] On another front, this application provides a special-purpose hospital bed for use in conjunction with the aforementioned elderly care robot. This bed can establish connections with wearable sensors on the bed or on the patient, facilitating the management of multi-sensor information. Furthermore, the special-purpose hospital bed can be used to connect to the care robot, providing it with support, charging, and a communication base. The technical solution is as follows: A special-purpose hospital bed for use in conjunction with the aforementioned elderly care robot includes a bed body and a support base. The support base is disposed on the bed body and is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with sensors installed on the bed and the patient's wearable sensors. A second connection device is provided on the support base. When the elderly care robot performs care tasks around the bed, the elderly care robot and the support base are locked and unlocked through the first and second connection devices.

[0016] Furthermore, the second connecting device includes a second positioning device, a fixing component, a network cable communication interface, and a charging interface, which are respectively adapted to the first positioning device, the electromagnetic fixing device, the network cable communication interface, and the charging interface in the first connecting device.

[0017] The special-purpose hospital bed provided in this application is equipped with a support base. This base serves two purposes: firstly, it provides an anti-tipping platform for the elderly care robot, facilitating its performance of interactive tasks; secondly, the support base can also be used in conjunction with other robots. The support base is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communication with sensors installed on the bed and the patient's wearable sensors, thus enabling centralized management of multiple sensors.

[0018] On another front, this application provides an elderly care system based on an edge computing module, used for comprehensive management of multimodal data in the field of elderly care and control of elderly care robots, which is beneficial for systematic management and execution of elderly care tasks. The technical solution is as follows: An elderly care system based on an edge computing module, comprising: An edge computing module is configured with a communication port, which includes one or more of a wireless network card, a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, and an Ethernet interface. Several wearable sensors worn on the patient; Several sensors installed on the hospital bed; The aforementioned elderly care robot includes a mobile robot and a robotic arm mounted on the mobile robot, and the composite robot is used to perform care tasks; And a support base, which is connected to the edge computing module and is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with wearable sensors on the patient or sensors on the hospital bed; Furthermore, it also includes: The cloud computing module communicates with the edge computing module. A mobile terminal is used to connect to the cloud and to receive data and upload control commands. And an alarm unit, connected to the edge computing module; The edge computing module is equipped with AI algorithms to control the robotic arm on the mobile robot based on the received multimodal data.

[0019] In summary, the beneficial effects of this application are as follows: 1. The intelligent elderly care system provided in this application can not only fulfill the tasks of daily life elderly care, but also provide services such as nursing and rehabilitation around the hospital bed for long-term bedridden patients. It can assist bedridden patients in transferring from the hospital bed, maintaining their position, or assisting them in bed rehabilitation training.

[0020] 2. The intelligent elderly care system provided in this application does not require large-scale modification of the hospital bed or environment. The force balance provided by the support base solves the problem of the mobile robot being prone to tipping over when exerting great force. The high-bandwidth communication between the network interface of the support base and the edge computing module realizes the fusion of multimodal sensors at the edge side, which solves the problem of insufficient computing power of the controller built into the elderly care robot itself and reduces the cost of the elderly care robot.

[0021] 3. The edge computing module of the intelligent elderly care system provided in this application can communicate with the patient's wearable physiological detection sensors, sensors installed on the hospital bed, or other sensors through a wireless interface (such as a Bluetooth gateway), and can also realize high-speed communication between the support base and the elderly care robot controller through a high-bandwidth wired interface, so as to control the robot to perform tasks in real time.

[0022] 4. The intelligent elderly care system provided in this application can realize remote care functions by configuring an edge computing module, a cloud server and a mobile terminal. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the intelligent elderly care system provided in this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integration of a nursing care robot and a support base in an intelligent elderly care system to provide care for bedridden patients. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integration of a nursing care robot and a support base in an intelligent elderly care system to achieve patient mobility assistance. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a smart elderly care system where an elderly care robot is not connected to a support base when performing daily care. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating remote care achieved through an edge computing module in an intelligent elderly care system. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware composition of the edge computing module in an intelligent elderly care system; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the software flow of the edge computing module in an intelligent elderly care system.

[0024] In the diagram, 100 represents the elderly care robot; 200 represents the support base; and 300 represents the edge computing module. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Example 1: An elderly care robot, which is a composite robot, including a mobile robot and one or two force-tactile robotic arms mounted on the mobile robot, wherein the force-tactile robotic arms are equipped with replaceable end effectors.

[0027] Force-tactile robotic arms provide compliant, reverse-actuable capability (e.g., using cable drive technology) and have a range of motion (DOF) greater than 6. End-effectors include software and other tools. The software facilitates support for bedridden patients to get out of bed or be transferred. Different types of tools can perform different activities of daily living. Appropriate end-effectors can be switched when different tasks need to be performed.

[0028] The elderly care robot is equipped with a camera, microphone, speaker, breathing light, face recognition module and voice recognition module. The camera is a binocular or depth camera. The elderly care robot has autonomous navigation function. The mobile robot is equipped with Mecanum wheels, which can turn flexibly in small spaces.

[0029] The mobile robot is equipped with a first connecting device for fixing the mobile robot to a fixed object, such as the ground, a hospital bed, or a wall. The first connecting device includes a first positioning device and an electromagnetic fixing device. The first positioning device is used for positioning with the fixed object, and the electromagnetic fixing device is used for fixing to the fixed object. The first positioning device can be any of the following forms: a positioning plane, a positioning pin, a positioning protrusion, etc. The electromagnetic fixing device can be an electromagnetic chuck or an electromagnetic brake.

[0030] The first connection device also includes a charging interface and a network communication interface, which are used to charge the elderly care robot and establish a network connection with the fixed object when the robot is connected to the fixed object.

[0031] The elderly care robot in this embodiment can perform functions such as safety monitoring, proactive reminders, danger warnings, daily patrols, social companionship, and retrieving items.

[0032] Example 2: An intelligent elderly care system, referenced Figure 1-5 It includes the elderly care robot, support base, edge computing module and cloud server described in Embodiment 1.

[0033] The support base is installed on the ground or on the hospital bed. When installed on the ground, the support base can be securely placed under the hospital bed using anchor bolts or similar methods. When installed on the hospital bed, it can be mechanically connected and fixed to the bed. In particular, in some other embodiments, the support base is part of a special-purpose hospital bed.

[0034] A second connecting device is provided on the support base. The elderly care robot and the support base are locked and unlocked through the first and second connecting devices. When the elderly care robot and the support base are locked, they are rigidly connected, and the support base can withstand the forces / torques of the elderly care robot. When the elderly care robot and the support base are unlocked, the elderly care robot freely detaches from the support base. The main function of the support base is to provide a stable anti-tipping base for the force-sensitive robotic arm, enabling the robotic arm to perform tasks involving relatively large force interactions (such as supporting patient transfer or keeping the patient lying on their side).

[0035] The support base has one or more second connecting devices. For example, the support base is rectangular and has at least one second connecting device on each of its two sides, so as to fix the elderly care robot to different positions on the support base so as to perform care tasks for different parts of the patient's body.

[0036] When the elderly care robot performs care tasks around the hospital bed, it connects to the support base, and the first connection device and the second connection device are locked.

[0037] The first connecting device is installed on the mobile robot or the force-tactile robotic arm; it can be understood that when the first connecting device is installed on the force-tactile robotic arm, the connection structure between the elderly care robot and the support base is more complex but has higher rigidity.

[0038] The second connecting device includes a second positioning device that matches the first positioning device and a fixing member that matches the electromagnetic fixing device. The first and second positioning devices are matched with each other; for example, the first and second positioning devices are configured as a male and female connector for positioning between the elderly care robot and the support base. Similarly, the fixing member in the second connecting device matches the electromagnetic fixing device in the first connecting device. For example, when the electromagnetic fixing device is an electromagnetic chuck, the fixing member is a magnetic component; when the electromagnetic fixing device is an electromagnetic brake, the fixing member is a cylindrical component.

[0039] The second positioning device is equipped with a charging interface and a network communication interface. It can be understood that the charging interface and network communication interface on the second positioning device are compatible with those in the first positioning device for mutual connection. When the elderly care robot is locked to the support base, the support base charges the elderly care robot through the charging interface and communicates with the robot through the network communication interface.

[0040] The support base is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with sensors installed on the hospital bed and the patient's wearable sensors. The Bluetooth gateway in the support base is also connected to an edge computing module, and the elderly care robot is also connected to the edge computing module.

[0041] The patient's wearable sensors and the bed-mounted sensors can be connected to a Bluetooth gateway on the supporting base via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth gateway connects to the edge computing module via a local area network, enabling data interaction between the elderly care robot, the hospital bed, and the edge computing module. Deploying corresponding software on the edge computing module enables functions such as nursing monitoring and health management.

[0042] When the elderly care robot is connected to the support base, the edge computing module can acquire all sensor information from the robot, including visual sensors and the pose of the robotic arm. At this point, the edge computing module becomes the main controller of the entire care system, while the robot's controller becomes the subordinate unit, only executing the control program for the robotic arm. The network cable communication interface enables remote real-time control of the robotic arm. Algorithms related to multimodal AI functions and requiring significant computing resources can be deployed on the edge computing module, which helps reduce the size and cost of the elderly care robot.

[0043] The cloud server is connected to the edge computing module, and the system is also configured with a mobile terminal, which is connected to the edge computing module.

[0044] The edge computing module, acting as a controller in an elderly care system, can control the robotic arm on a mobile robot based on multimodal sensor inputs using deployed AI algorithms. As an example, a schematic diagram of the hardware composition of the edge computing module is shown below. Figure 6 The software flowchart is as follows: Figure 7 As shown. The edge computing module provides a front-end interface (webpage or mobile app) for users within the medical institution within the local area network. Medical staff can monitor patient bed status, vital signs, etc., at any time, view patient status via cameras, communicate with those being cared for via speakers, and direct force-sensitive robotic arms to perform tasks. The edge computing module can also interconnect with a cloud server, which provides a front-end interface (webpage or mobile app) for users outside the institution. Medical staff can monitor patient bed status, vital signs, etc., at any time, and direct robotic arms to perform tasks. The edge computing module can be deployed within a bed support base to serve only one bed, or it can be deployed in a ward to serve multiple beds, or it can be deployed in the hospital's server room to serve multiple wards.

[0045] The elderly care system provided in this application can be used in scenarios such as elderly care institutions, hospital wards, and homes. When the mobile robot of the elderly care robot is not combined with the supporting base (e.g....) Figure 4 (As shown) It can realize functions such as safety care, proactive reminders, danger warnings, daily patrols, social companionship, and item retrieval. When the mobile robot of the elderly care robot is not combined with the support base, the system composed of the support base and the edge computing module 300 can realize functions such as physiological information monitoring and health management, such as... Figure 5 As shown.

[0046] After the mobile robot of the elderly care robot 100 is combined with the support base 200 (such as...), Figure 2 and Figure 3 The system (shown) and edge computing module can realize functions such as safety care, proactive reminders, danger warnings, social companionship, transfer assistance, mobility assistance, feeding, device handling, rehabilitation training, massage, and disinfection.

[0047] Example 3: A special hospital bed includes a bed body and a support base. The support base is disposed on the bed body and is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with sensors installed on the bed and wearable sensors of the patient. The support base is provided with a second connection device, which includes a second positioning device, a fixing component, a network cable communication interface, and a charging interface, respectively adapted to the first positioning device, the electromagnetic fixing device, the network cable communication interface, and the charging interface in the first connection device.

[0048] Specifically, in this embodiment, the second positioning device is matched with the first positioning device in Embodiment 1, and the fixing component is matched with the electromagnetic fixing device in Embodiment 1. The support base serves to provide an anti-tipping base for the elderly care robot, thereby facilitating the robot's performance of interactive tasks. The support base can also be used in conjunction with other robots. A Bluetooth gateway is configured in the support base for communication with sensors installed on the hospital bed and the patient's wearable sensors, thereby facilitating centralized management of multiple sensors.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, when the support base is connected to the separately set edge computing module, it can realize functions such as physiological information monitoring and health management.

[0050] Example 4: An elderly care system based on an edge computing module, referenced Figure 6 It includes an edge computing module, several wearable sensors worn on the patient, several sensors installed on the hospital bed, a composite robot, and a support base.

[0051] The edge computing module is equipped with a memory, a processor, and a graphics card, and is connected to a monitor via HDMI. The edge computing module is also equipped with a communication port, which includes one or more of the following: a wireless network card, a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, and an Ethernet interface. A composite robot includes a mobile robot and a robotic arm mounted on the mobile robot, the composite robot being used to perform care tasks; The support base is connected to the edge computing module. The support base is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communication with wearable sensors on the patient or sensors on the hospital bed. The wearable sensors on the patient and the sensors on the hospital bed can communicate directly with the edge computing module via Bluetooth, or indirectly via the support base. The support base is equipped with a Wi-Fi module and an Ethernet interface, allowing connection to the edge computing module via a local area network (LAN) router or a network cable. In this implementation, the hospital's web information system can access the edge computing module via the LAN router, and sensor data received by the support base is uploaded to the edge computing module via the LAN router.

[0052] More specifically, in this embodiment, the composite robot is the elderly care robot of Embodiment 1, and the support base is the support base of Embodiment 2 or Embodiment 3. When the composite robot is connected to the support base, it communicates with the edge computing module through an Ethernet interface. When the composite robot is not connected to the support base, it connects to the edge computing module via WiFi or Bluetooth.

[0053] This embodiment of the elderly care system also includes a cloud platform, a mobile terminal, and an alarm unit. The cloud platform communicates with the edge computing module via a wireless network card; the mobile terminal connects to the cloud platform and has an app deployed on it for receiving data and uploading control commands. The alarm unit is connected to and controlled by the edge computing module, and is used to issue safety alarms.

[0054] The edge computing module is equipped with AI algorithms to control the robotic arm on the mobile robot based on the received multimodal data. A software flowchart is shown in Figure 7.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the inventive concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An intelligent elderly care system, characterized in that, include: An elderly care robot; the elderly care robot is a composite robot, including a mobile robot and one or two force-tactile robotic arms mounted on the mobile robot, the force-tactile robotic arms being equipped with replaceable end effectors; the mobile robot is provided with a first connecting device, the first connecting device being used to fix the mobile robot to a fixed object; the first connecting device includes a first positioning device and an electromagnetic fixing device, the first positioning device being used for positioning with the fixed object, and the electromagnetic fixing device being used for fixing with the fixed object; the first connecting device also includes a charging interface and a network cable communication interface, used for charging the elderly care robot and establishing a network connection when the elderly care robot is connected to the fixed object; The system includes a support base, which is installed on the ground or a hospital bed. The support base is equipped with a second connecting device. The elderly care robot and the support base are locked and unlocked via the first and second connecting devices. The second connecting device includes a second positioning device that matches the first positioning device and a fixing component that matches the electromagnetic fixing device. The second positioning device is equipped with a charging interface and a network communication interface. When the elderly care robot is locked to the support base, the support base charges the elderly care robot through the charging interface and communicates with the elderly care robot through the network communication interface. The support base is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with sensors installed on the hospital bed and the patient's wearable sensors. When the elderly care robot performs care tasks around the hospital bed, it connects to the support base, and the first connection device and the second connection device are locked. The system also includes an edge computing module, with a Bluetooth gateway in the support base communicating with the edge computing module, and the elderly care robot communicating with the edge computing module; the system is also configured with a cloud server and / or a mobile terminal, with the cloud server connected to the edge computing module and the mobile terminal connected to the edge computing module.

2. The intelligent elderly care system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elderly care robot is equipped with one or more of the following: a camera, a microphone, a speaker, a breathing light, a facial recognition module, and a voice recognition module; the mobile robot is equipped with Mecanum wheels.

3. A senior care system based on an edge computing module, characterized in that, include: An edge computing module is configured with a communication port, which includes one or more of a wireless network card, a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, and an Ethernet interface. Several wearable sensors worn on the patient; Several sensors installed on the hospital bed; An elderly care robot is disclosed, which is used to perform care tasks. The elderly care robot is a composite robot, comprising a mobile robot and one or two force-sensitive robotic arms mounted on the mobile robot. The force-sensitive robotic arms are equipped with replaceable end effectors. The mobile robot is provided with a first connecting device for fixing the mobile robot to a fixed object. The first connecting device includes a first positioning device and an electromagnetic fixing device. The first positioning device is used for positioning the robot relative to the fixed object, and the electromagnetic fixing device is used for fixing the robot to the fixed object. The first connecting device also includes a charging interface and a network communication interface for charging the elderly care robot and establishing a network connection when the robot is connected to the fixed object. And a support base, which is connected to the edge computing module and is equipped with a Bluetooth gateway for communicating with wearable sensors on the patient or sensors on the hospital bed. The support base is installed on the ground or a hospital bed. The support base is equipped with a second connecting device. The elderly care robot and the support base are locked and unlocked through the first connecting device and the second connecting device. The second connecting device includes a second positioning device that matches the first positioning device and a fixing component that matches the electromagnetic fixing device. The second positioning device is equipped with a charging interface and a network cable communication interface. When the elderly care robot is locked to the support base, the support base charges the elderly care robot through the charging interface and communicates with the elderly care robot through the network cable communication interface.

4. The elderly care system based on an edge computing module according to claim 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The cloud computing module communicates with the edge computing module. A mobile terminal is used to connect to the cloud and to receive data and upload control commands. And an alarm unit, connected to the edge computing module; The edge computing module is equipped with AI algorithms to control the force-tactile robotic arm on the mobile robot based on the received multimodal data.

Images