Nurse robot

Abstract

This invention relates to a nursing robot, comprising a head, torso, arms, and a base. The head includes a screen and a camera, allowing interaction with nurses via an interface on the screen. The camera performs facial or object recognition. The arms have seven degrees of freedom, enabling them to perform tasks such as object gripping, tray delivery, and door opening / closing. The torso has storage space for various medical supplies. The base contains multiple sensing modules, allowing for smooth movement within the hospital. This nursing robot can collaborate with nursing staff, saving them physical strength and time, reducing repetitive and monotonous tasks, and freeing up more time for nurses to care for patients' health, thus addressing the problem of scarce medical and nursing personnel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robotics, and in particular to a robot that assists medical personnel. Prior Technology

[0002] In the work of nursing staff, medical staff's work includes health education, medication distribution, food delivery, supply replenishment and other physically demanding and repetitive tasks. Such work requires constant movement between nursing stations and wards, which is not only physically exhausting but also time-consuming.

[0003] In view of the shortage of medical staff in recent years and the continuous increase in the working hours of medical staff, how to reduce the burden on medical staff has become a major issue for hospitals. In the past, some people have proposed the solution of medical robots, but the current medical robots are not versatile and are designed only for single application scenarios, making it difficult to popularize them in hospitals. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a nursing robot with excellent versatility, which can assist medical staff in completing various physically demanding and repetitive tasks, reduce the burden on medical staff, improve work efficiency, and solve the problem of shortage of medical human resources.

[0005] The nursing robot of the present invention includes a head, a torso, arms, and a base. The head further includes a head shell, which is a hollow semi-ellipsoid forming a head space and a screen opening. The head space also contains a screen and a camera unit. The screen completely covers the screen opening, while the camera unit protrudes from the camera opening on the head shell.

[0006] The body includes the main body, the lifting mechanism, and the neck. The main body has a storage space in the middle for storing medical supplies. Below the main body is the lifting mechanism, which can raise the main body so that the arms can reach higher places, thus improving the nursing robot's ability to pick up items from high places. The neck serves as the connecting element between the main body and the head. The neck can rotate 180 degrees horizontally to drive the horizontal rotation of the entire head, and the neck can also rotate vertically to drive the pitching motion of the entire head.

[0007] The arm consists of an upper arm, elbow, lower arm, and accessories. The upper arm is connected to the main body and has two perpendicular pivots, giving it two degrees of freedom. The lower arm is connected to the upper arm and also has two perpendicular pivots, giving the upper arm two degrees of freedom as well. The elbow is clamped between the upper and lower arms and has three pivots, providing three degrees of freedom. The lower arm has an accessory interface at its end, allowing accessories to be movably connected to the lower arm.

[0008] Among them, the accessories can be one or a combination of two or more of the following: three-finger module, two-finger module, suction cup module, brush head module, and barcode scanning module. The central processing unit of the nursing robot can control the arm to change different accessories according to different tasks.

[0009] Among them, the three-finger module is used to complete the task of extracting large objects.

[0010] Among them, the two-finger module is used to complete the task of moving the handcart or extracting the door lock switch.

[0011] The suction cup finger module is used to extract small objects.

[0012] Above the base is a housing where accessories such as the three-finger module, two-finger module, suction cup module, brush head module, and barcode scanning module can be placed. The central processing unit can control the arm to move to the housing to replace accessories.

[0013] The base is located below the body and serves as the component that drives the nursing robot to move. The base includes a base shell to form a base space, which contains a drive module, an infrared sensing module, an ultrasonic sensing module, a base depth sensing module, a light sensor module, and a central processing unit.

[0014] The drive module includes a motor and wheels, which are used to move the nursing robot.

[0015] The infrared sensing module is located at the corner of the base and is connected to the central processing unit. The central processing unit detects the edge of the roadside and steps based on the infrared sensing module.

[0016] The ultrasonic sensing module is located at the corner of the base and is slightly higher than the infrared sensing module. The ultrasonic sensing module is connected to the central processing unit, which detects the transparent glass based on the ultrasonic sensing module.

[0017] The base depth sensing module is located on the side of the base and is connected to the central processing unit. The central processing unit detects dynamic obstacles based on the base depth sensing module.

[0018] The LiDAR sensing module is located on the side of the base and is slightly higher than the base depth sensing module. The LiDAR sensing module is connected to the central processing unit, which constructs a map based on the LiDAR sensing module.

[0019] The base also has a weighing unit at the top, which is connected to the central processing unit and can measure the combined weight of the torso, arms and head.

[0020] The base also includes a communication unit that connects the central processing unit to the hospital's HIS (Hospital Information System) computer.

[0021] The invention also includes three recording units: a first recording unit located in the main body, a second recording unit located in the head space, and a third recording unit located in the base space. The three recording units respectively acquire first, second, and third ambient sounds from three different locations. The central processing unit then uses independent components analysis or AI-based neural networks to separate the sounds of medical staff talking, mobile phone talking, patient groans, telephone ringing, patient calling, and printer printing from the environment based on the three ambient sound signals.

[0022] The present invention also provides a drug safety procedure, which can be controlled by a central processing unit, and the drug safety procedure includes: The hospital's HIS (Hospital Information System) computer transmits a drug retrieval instruction and a drug weight to the central processing unit; Use your arm to hold the medicine and place it in the storage space; Weighing medicines using weighing units; The difference between the weighed amount and the weight of the medicine is calculated to determine whether an error has occurred in the administration of the medicine.

[0023] The present invention also provides a dietary assessment step, which can be controlled by a central processing unit, and the dietary assessment step includes: Use your arms to pick up uneaten food; Using a weighing unit, the net weight of the uneaten food is obtained, thus yielding the net weight before consumption; Using his arm, he picked up a piece of food that he had already eaten; Using a weighing unit, the net weight of the consumed food is obtained, thus yielding the net weight after consumption; Calculate the difference between the net weight before and after consumption to obtain a serving size.

[0024] The present invention also provides an object moving step, which can be controlled by a central processing unit, and the object moving step includes: By using a drive module to rotate the base, the scanning range of the light-emitting sensor module is made to avoid an object; The head is rotated using its neck to orient the camera unit toward the object; Use your arm to control the accessory to secure it to the object; The nursing robot and the object are moved using a drive module, and obstacles are detected based on a LiDAR sensing module and a base depth sensing module. The camera unit captures images of the surrounding area around the trolley, and obstacles are detected based on these images. Control the drive module to avoid obstacles.

[0025] Through the dietary assessment steps of this invention, the patient's dietary status can be automatically recorded, allowing doctors and dietitians to make further treatment improvements based on the patient's dietary status.

[0026] By means of the object moving steps of the present invention, objects can be moved without hitting obstacles or people in hospitals with many corners and a large number of patients.

[0027] By employing the dietary assessment steps and medication safety procedures of this invention, the risk of a nursing robot misdelivering medication can be eliminated.

[0028] The nursing robot of this invention can assist nursing staff in their work, save their physical strength and time, reduce repetitive and monotonous tasks, and allow nursing staff to spend more time caring for patients' health, thus solving the problem of scarce medical and nursing personnel. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0029] Figure 1 is a front view of the nursing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the right side of the nursing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 4 is a diagram of the head block of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 5 is a perspective view of the head shell according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the arm in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 7 is a front view of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the right side of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the rear side of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 10 is a block diagram of the base according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the box body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 12 is a flowchart of a drug transportation task according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 13 is a flowchart of a food transportation task according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 14 is a flowchart of the medical cart supply task according to an embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0043] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that in this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, or B existing alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," etc. (if present) in the specification, scope of the invention application, and accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, not to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0044] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0045] In one embodiment, medical supplies include, but are not limited to, cotton pads, cotton swabs, patches, gauze pads, sterile gloves, and medicines.

[0046] In one embodiment, the biological specimen includes, but is not limited to, urine, feces, and blood.

[0047] In one embodiment, the communication unit may include a wired communication module and / or a wireless communication module. The wired communication module may provide one or more wired communication solutions such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Controller Area Network (CAN). The wireless communication module may provide one or more wireless communication solutions such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), mobile communication networks, frequency modulation (FM), near field communication (NFC), and infrared (IR).

[0048] In one embodiment, the memory may include one or more random access memory (RAM) and one or more non-volatile memory (NVM). The RAM can be directly read and written by the central processing unit (CPU) and can be used to store executable programs (e.g., machine instructions) of other running programs, as well as user and application data. RAM may include static random-access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), etc. The NVM can also store executable programs and user and application data, and can be pre-loaded into the RAM for direct read and write by the CPU. NVM may include disk-based memory (DRAM) and flash memory. The memory is used to store one or more computer programs. One or more computer programs are configured to be executed by the CPU. The one or more computer programs include multiple instructions, which, when executed by the central processing unit, enable a medical image recognition model training method and a medical image recognition method to be executed on the electronic device 10.

[0049] The central processing unit (CPU) may include one or more processing units, such as application processors (APs), modem processors, graphics processing units (GPUs), image signal processors (ISPs), controllers, video transcoders, digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or neural network processing units (NPUs). These different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more CPUs. The CPU provides computational and control capabilities; for example, it executes computer programs stored in memory to implement the aforementioned medical image recognition model training method and medical image recognition method.

[0050] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, which are a front view and a right view of the nursing robot according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the nursing robot 1 includes a body 2, a head 3, a base 4, an arm 5, and a housing 6.

[0051] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3, where Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the body according to an embodiment of the present invention. The body 2 includes a main body 21, a lifting part 22, a neck 23, and a first recording unit 24. The main body 21 further includes a storage space 210, a tap 211, and an NFC sensing part 212. In this embodiment, the nursing robot 1 can place medical supplies and biological samples in the storage space 210, enabling the nursing robot 1 to assist in the delivery task. After arriving at the designated ward or location, the nurse uses a sensor card to identify herself in the NFC sensing part 212. Only after confirming that her identity is correct will the tap 211 be opened, preventing non-medical personnel from taking medical supplies or biological samples at will, and also preventing medical personnel from taking the wrong items.

[0052] The lifting part 22 is located between the main body 21 and the base 4. The lifting part 22 can be a vertical lifting mechanism, a lever-type lifting mechanism or a screw lifting mechanism. The lifting part 22 can lift the main body 21. With the control of the arm 3, it can pick up medical supplies or other items placed at a high place.

[0053] The neck 23 is located between the body 21 and the head 3. The neck 23 has two degrees of freedom, namely horizontal rotation and vertical rotation. The neck 23 can rotate 0~270° to the right or 0~270° to the left. Through the horizontal rotation design, the head 3 can turn completely to the rear. The neck 23 can rotate 45° downward or 90° upward. Through the vertical rotation design, the head 3 faces the floor or ceiling.

[0054] The horizontal and vertical rotation of the neck 23 can be achieved by a gear mechanism, a worm gear mechanism, a pulley mechanism, a sprocket mechanism, a cam mechanism, or a ratchet mechanism.

[0055] The first recording unit 24 is located near the NFC sensing unit 212. The first recording unit 24 can collect ambient sounds from the surrounding environment for use in ambient volume analysis.

[0056] Please refer to Figures 1, 2, and 4, where Figure 4 is a block diagram of the head according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the head 3 includes a head housing 30, a screen 31, a head processing unit 32, a camera unit 33, a speaker 34, a second recording unit 35, a head communication unit 36, and a memory 37.

[0057] Please refer to Figures 3 and 5, where Figure 5 is a perspective view of the head shell according to an embodiment of the present invention. The head shell 30 is a hollow semi-elliptical sphere, forming a head space 311 with a screen opening 311. The head space 311 can be used to house the head processing unit 32, camera unit 33, speaker 34, second recording unit 35, head communication unit 36, and memory 37, while the screen opening 311 is completely covered by the screen 31.

[0058] The head housing 30 has symmetrical horn openings 312 on its side, and the horn 34 is positioned corresponding to the horn openings 312.

[0059] Among them, a camera opening 313 is provided around the head housing 30 near the screen opening 311, and the position of the camera unit 33 corresponds to the camera opening 313.

[0060] The head processing unit 32 is connected to the screen 31, camera unit 33, speaker 34, second recording unit 35, head communication unit 36, and memory 37 via a circuit board, and the head processing unit 32 controls the operation of each component based on different tasks.

[0061] The head processing unit 32 can perform health education tasks. The head processing unit 32 controls the screen 31 to play health education videos stored in the memory 37 and plays the sound through the speakers 34 set on both sides of the head space 311. After the health education video is finished playing, the screen 31 displays questions and answers. The screen 31 is a touch screen, and the viewer can also click on the screen to answer the questions.

[0062] Among them, screen 31 can display a variety of operation interfaces according to task requirements.

[0063] The camera unit 33 can capture faces or barcodes, and the head processing unit 32 performs face recognition or barcode scanning to confirm whether the current health education target is correct.

[0064] The camera unit 33 can also capture images of the environment while the nursing robot 1 is moving, and the head processing unit 32 can instantly identify obstacles, which the base 4 can then avoid.

[0065] Among them, the camera unit 33 can also take pictures of medical supplies or biological specimens, which are then identified by the head processing unit 32 to achieve the purpose of transportation and acceptance.

[0066] When the nursing robot 1 arrives at the ward or designated location, the head processing unit 32 will play an arrival notification through the speaker 34. When the nursing staff picks up medical supplies or biological specimens from the storage space 210 for identification, the speaker 34 will broadcast the name of the supplies or specimens to avoid incorrect replenishment.

[0067] The second recording unit 35 can receive spoken voice from nursing staff or patients, and the head processing unit 32 then performs voice recognition to achieve the purpose of interaction between the nursing robot 1 and the personnel.

[0068] The second recording unit 35 can also collect ambient sounds from the surrounding environment for use in environmental volume analysis.

[0069] The head communication unit 36 ​​can communicate with the base 4, or with an external server or hospital computer, or with an external terminal device.

[0070] Please refer to Figures 1, 2, and 6, where Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the arm according to an embodiment of the present invention. The arm of the present invention includes an upper arm 51, an elbow 52, ​​a lower arm 53, and an accessory 54. The upper arm 51 is connected to the side of the main body 21, and the upper arm 51 further includes an upper short arm 511 and an upper long arm 512. A first upper rotating shaft 513 is provided between the upper short arm 511 and the main body 21, and a second upper rotating shaft 514 is provided between the upper short arm 511 and the upper long arm 512. The first upper rotating shaft 513 rotates about the Z-axis, and the second upper rotating shaft 514 rotates about the Y-axis.

[0071] The elbow 52 is connected to the upper arm 51 and the lower arm 53 at its two ends, and includes a first middle arm 521 and a second middle arm 522. The first middle arm 521 is connected to the upper long arm 512, and a first pivot shaft 523 is provided between the first middle arm 521 and the upper long arm 512. The first middle arm 521 and the second middle arm 522 are connected, and a second pivot shaft 524 is provided between the first middle arm 521 and the second middle arm 522. The second middle arm 522 is connected to the lower arm 53, and a third pivot shaft 525 is provided between the second middle arm 522 and the lower arm 53. The first pivot shaft 523 and the third pivot shaft 525 rotate about the Z-axis, and the second pivot shaft 524 rotates about the Y-axis.

[0072] The lower arm 53 includes a lower long arm 531, a lower short arm 532, an accessory interface 533, and a hand depth sensing module 534. The lower long arm 531 is connected to the second middle arm 522, and the lower long arm 531 is connected to the lower short arm 532. A first lower pivot 535 is provided between the lower long arm 531 and the lower short arm 532. The lower short arm 532 is connected to the accessory interface 533, and a second lower pivot 536 is provided between the lower short arm 532 and the accessory interface 533. The first lower pivot 535 rotates around the Y-axis, and the second lower pivot 536 rotates around the Z-axis. The hand depth sensing module 534 is provided on the accessory interface 533, and the lens of the hand depth sensing module 534 faces the accessory 54.

[0073] In one embodiment, accessory 54 is connected to accessory interface 533, and accessory 54 is a two-finger module, with a tactile sensor 541 provided on the finger clip of the two-finger clip module.

[0074] Accessory 54 can be a three-finger module, a two-finger module, a suction cup module, a brush head module, or a barcode scanning module.

[0075] The three-finger module can be used to grip medical supplies or packaging materials with a volume of 4cm×4cm×4cm or larger.

[0076] Among them, the two-finger module can hold onto a medical cart or a food cart, and the two-finger module can also pull or push a door.

[0077] The suction cup module can pick up lightweight medical kits, small bottled medicines, or strip-shaped plasters.

[0078] The brush head module can be used for cleaning.

[0079] Among them, the barcode scanning module can be used to scan barcodes on medical supplies.

[0080] The arm 5 of this invention can perform arm operations with more than seven degrees of freedom through multiple rotation axes of the upper arm 51, lower arm 53 and elbow 52.

[0081] Please refer to Figures 7 to 10, which are respectively a front view, a right side view, a rear side view, and a block diagram of the base of the embodiment of the present invention. The base 4 of the present invention includes a base housing 40, a drive module 41, a weighing unit 42, a central processing unit 43, an infrared sensing module 44, an ultrasonic sensing module 45, a base depth sensing module 46, a light sensor module 47, a third recording unit 48, a communication unit 49, a power supply unit 410, and an ultraviolet light unit 411; wherein, the base housing 40 is a rounded-edge cuboid, forming a base space 400.

[0082] The drive module 41 includes four wheels and a motor. The motor is located in the base space 400. Half of the four wheels are embedded in the base space 400, and the other half of the wheels protrude from the base space 400 to the bottom of the base 4. The central processing unit 43 is connected to the drive module 41, and the drive module 41 drives the nursing robot 1 to move.

[0083] The infrared sensing module 44 includes four infrared sensors, which are evenly distributed at the four corners of the base 4. In this embodiment, the infrared sensing module 44 is located close to the ground and is connected to the central processing unit 43. The central processing unit 43 detects the edge of the roadside and steps based on the signal from the infrared sensing module 44.

[0084] The ultrasonic sensing module 45 includes four ultrasonic sensors, which are evenly distributed at the four corners of the base 4. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic sensing module 45 is positioned slightly higher than the infrared sensing module 44, and the ultrasonic sensing module 45 is connected to the central processing unit 43. The central processing unit 43 detects the transparent glass based on the signal from the ultrasonic sensing module 45 to avoid collisions with floor-to-ceiling glass or glass doors.

[0085] The LiDAR sensing module 47 is located on the top of the base 4. In this embodiment, the LiDAR sensing module 47 is connected to the central processing unit 43. The central processing unit 43 constructs a field map and plans the optimal path based on the signal from the LiDAR sensing module 47.

[0086] The third recording unit 48 can also collect ambient sounds from the surrounding environment for use in environmental volume analysis.

[0087] The communication unit 49 serves as the connection between the central processing unit 43 and the hospital's computer and terminal.

[0088] The power supply unit 410 is a rechargeable battery, which serves as the energy source for the entire nursing robot 1. In one embodiment, the base 4 can automatically return to the charging station according to the field map, and the charging station can also send a signal to guide the nursing robot 1 to return.

[0089] Among them, the ultraviolet light unit 411 is an LED light-emitting element, located at the bottom of the base 4, which can emit UVC light with a wavelength lower than 280mm, and sterilize the floor when the nursing robot 1 moves.

[0090] The weighing unit 42 is located on the top of the base housing 40, and the body 2 is located above the weighing unit 42, so that the weighing unit 42 can obtain the weight of the body 2, head 3 and arm 5.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 11, which is a schematic diagram of the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. The housing 6 of the present invention is located on the top of the base 4 and is parallel to the body 2. The top of the housing 6 is provided with a cover 61, and the opening or closing of the cover 61 is controlled by the central processing unit 43.

[0092] The box 6 contains multiple grooves 62, each groove 62 holds an accessory 54. The shape of each groove 62 corresponds one-to-one with the various accessories 54. When the accessory 54 is inserted into the groove 62, the groove 62 holds the accessory 54 in place, so that the accessory 54 can only be taken out by going straight up.

[0093] The housing 6 further includes a turntable mechanism 63, which can rotate the groove 62. The rotation of the groove 62, in conjunction with the rotation of the lower arm 53, can improve the efficiency of engagement / disengagement between the accessory 54 and the lower arm 53.

[0094] In this embodiment, the nursing robot 1 is applicable to medical institutions. The nursing robot 1 assists nurses in completing patient care tasks. Specifically, the tasks include drug transportation, specimen transportation, food transportation, medical cart movement, medical cart supply replenishment, and health education.

[0095] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a flowchart of a drug transportation task according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drug transportation task includes the following steps: S121: Hospital staff deliver medicines to the medical station in boxes, and the staff scans the barcodes on the medicines so that the hospital's HIS system can obtain the medicine name, ward bed number, medicine weight, and transport class, which can be ordinary, urgent, or express. S122: The nursing robot 1 connects to the HIS system via communication unit 49 and receives a message that the medicine has arrived at the medical station, including the medicine name, ward bed number, medicine weight, and transport level. The nursing robot 1 then moves to the medical station and selects the appropriate accessory 54 according to the size of the medicine. S123: The nursing robot 1 zeros the weighing unit 42, takes a picture of the medication using the camera unit 33, uses AI object recognition technology to select the medication to be picked up, picks up the medication and places it in the storage space 210, then weighs the medication using the weighing unit 42 and compares it with the medication weight in the HIS system. If the values ​​match, proceed to step S124; if they do not match, send a notification to the medical staff's mobile phone. The medication weight comparison is done by calculating the difference between the weighed weight and the medication weight to determine if an error has occurred in the medication administration. S124: Nursing robot 1 moves to the vicinity of the designated ward bed number and broadcasts or sends a message to notify the nursing staff to come and collect the medication. If the medical staff do not come to collect the medication within five minutes after being notified, nursing robot 1 moves to another ward bed number. S125: The caregiver brings the NFC identification card close to the NFC sensor 212, or chooses to use the camera unit 33 to take a picture of their face, and uses facial recognition to confirm their identity; S126: After confirming the identity, nursing robot 1 automatically pulls open tap 211; if the identity confirmation fails, the tap cannot be opened. S127: After the nursing staff picks up the medication from the storage space 210, the nursing robot 1 determines the name of the medication based on the weight change and plays the name of the medication and the ward bed number. S128: After the nursing staff takes out the medication, they face the barcode on the medication toward the camera unit 33. The nursing robot 1 identifies the barcode to confirm that the medication has been taken correctly and sends task completion information to the HIS system and terminal.

[0096] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a flowchart of a food transportation task according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process steps in the food transportation task include: S131: Kitchen staff deliver multiple meals to the elevator lobby in a basket cart, and the staff notifies the nursing robot 1 via mobile phone to come and collect the meals. The meals are served on food trays, and there are also notes or barcodes with the ward bed number and patient information on the food trays; S132: The nursing robot 1 zeros the weighing unit 42, uses the camera unit 33 to photograph the paper strip or barcode, and then uses AI item recognition technology or barcode scanning technology to obtain the ward bed number and patient information. Then, it uses its left and right arms to pick up the food, and uses the weighing unit 42 to weigh the net weight of the uneaten food and record it. S133: After the nursing robot 1 moves to the vicinity of the hospital bed and places the meal, the robot uses AI recognition to identify the patient's wristband, thereby confirming the patient's identity, and sends task completion information to the HIS system and terminal; S134: Nursing robot 1 sends a tray collection notification to nursing robot 1 via mobile phone. After nursing robot 1 goes to the ward, nursing robot 1 zeros the weighing unit 42, uses the camera unit 33 to take a picture of the paper or barcode, and then uses AI item recognition technology or barcode scanning technology to obtain the ward bed number and patient information. Then, it picks up the food with its left and right arms and uses the weighing unit 42 to weigh the net weight of the food that has been eaten. S135, the nursing robot 1 calculates the difference between the net weight of the consumed food and the net weight of the unconsumed food to obtain the patient's food intake.

[0097] Through the dietary delivery process of this invention, the patient's dietary status can be automatically recorded, and doctors and dietitians can make further adjustments to the treatment plan based on the patient's dietary status.

[0098] Please refer to Figure 14, which is a flowchart of a medical cart supply replenishment task according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process steps in the medical cart supply replenishment task include: S141: Nursing staff use a mobile terminal to call nursing robot 1 to replenish supplies on a designated medical cart; S142: The nursing robot 1 locates the medical cart using the GPS positioning system on the medical cart, moves to the vicinity of the medical cart, and then turns its back to the medical cart to prevent the LiDAR sensor module 47 from being blocked by the bottom plate of the medical cart; S143: The head 3 of the nursing robot 1 rotates 180°, so that the shooting range of the camera unit 33 can cover the medical cart; S144: The arm of the nursing robot 1 swings back, allowing accessory 54 to grip the handle of the medical cart, and then pulls the medical cart to the warehouse in a trolley-pulling manner; S145: Nursing Robot 1 uses AI to identify missing supplies on the medical cart; S146: Nursing robot 1 retrieves missing supplies from the warehouse, replaces accessory 54 with a barcode scanning module, scans the second warehouse barcode on the supplies using the barcode scanning module, and then places them into storage space 210. S147: Nursing Robot 1 returns to the medical cart and replenishes supplies to the correct location; S148: The nursing robot 1 pulls the medical cart back to its original position and sends task completion information to the HIS system and terminal.

[0099] By using the trolley towing step in the medical trolley supply mission, the supply trolley can be towed in hospitals where the trolleys are unstable, have many turns, and have a large number of patients, without hitting obstacles or people.

[0100] In this embodiment, during the execution of its tasks, the nursing robot 1 continuously collects ambient sounds using the first recording unit 24, the second recording unit 35, and the first and third recording units 48. Through the recorders placed in three different locations, we can obtain three-dimensional ambient sounds. By using independent components analysis, AI recognition, or a combination of both, we can separate the sounds of medical staff talking, mobile phone conversations, patient groans, telephone ringing, patient call ringing, and printer printing. By analyzing the ambient sounds, we can assess the environmental noise and use it as a basis for medical staff to set environmental improvement goals.

[0101] The nursing robot 1 of this invention can assist nursing staff in their work, save their physical strength and time, reduce repetitive and monotonous work, and allow nursing staff to spend more time caring for patients' health, thus solving the problem of scarce medical and nursing staff.

[0102] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions, and the method implemented when the program instructions are executed can refer to the methods in the above embodiments of this application. The computer-readable storage medium can be the internal storage of the electronic device described in the above embodiments, such as a hard drive or memory of the electronic device. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device for the electronic device, such as a plug-in hard drive, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the electronic device. In some embodiments, the computer-readable storage medium may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system, applications required for at least one function, etc.; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the electronic device, etc. In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. Parts not described in detail or in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will understand that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0104] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this invention, and should all be included within the protection scope of this invention.

[0105] 1: Nursing Robot 2: Body 21:Ontology 210: Storage Space 211: Tap 212: NFC sensor unit 22: Lifting Unit 23: Neck 24: First Recording Unit 3: Head 30: Head shell 31: Screen 311: Headroom 312: Horn opening 313: Camera opening 32: Head Processing Unit 33: Camera Unit 34: Loudspeaker 35: Second Recording Unit 36: Head communication unit 37: Memory 4: Base 40: Base housing 400: Base space 41: Drive Module 42: Weighing Unit 43: Central Processing Unit 44: Infrared sensing module 45: Ultrasonic Sensing Module 46: Depth Sensing Module 47: LiDAR Sensing Module 48: Third Recording Unit 49: Communication Unit 410: Power Supply Unit 411: Ultraviolet unit 5: Arms 51: Upper arm 511: Upper Short Arm 512: Upper arm 513: First upper shaft 514: Second upper spindle 52: Elbow 521: First midarm 522: Second midarm 523: First Central Axle 524: Second central pivot 525: Third central pivot 53: Lower arm 531: Lower Long Arm 532: Lower short arm 533: Accessory Interface 534: Hand Depth Sensing Module 535: First lower pivot 536: Second lower pivot 54: Accessories 541: Tactile Sensor 6: Box 61: Cover 62: Groove 63: Turntable mechanism S121-128: Steps S131-135: Steps S141-148: Steps

Claims

1. A nursing robot, comprising: a head, including: a head shell forming a head space, and the head shell having a screen opening; a screen covering the screen opening; a camera unit disposed in the head space; a body, including: a main body having a storage space; a lifting part disposed below the main body and connected to the main body; a neck disposed between the main body and the head, and the neck being connected to both the main body and the head, wherein... The neck is equipped with a rotating mechanism, and the horizontal rotation angle of the rotating mechanism is greater than 180 degrees; an arm includes: an upper arm connected to the body; a lower arm connected to the upper arm; an accessory movably connected to the lower arm; a base connected to the bottom end of the body, wherein the base includes: a base shell forming a base space; a drive module disposed in the base space; a weighing unit disposed on the top of the base; a central processing unit connected to the drive module, the weighing unit, and the arm; a first recording unit disposed in the body and connected to the central processing unit; a second recording unit disposed in the head space and connected to the central processing unit; a third recording unit disposed in the base space and connected to the central processing unit; wherein the central processing unit further performs an ambient sound analysis step, the ambient sound analysis step including: controlling the first recording unit to acquire a first ambient sound; controlling the second recording unit to acquire a second ambient sound; Control the third recording unit to acquire a third ambient sound; use a combination of independent components analysis and AI recognition methods to separate and identify one or more of the following from the first ambient sound, the second ambient sound, and the third ambient sound: medical staff conversation, mobile phone conversation, patient groaning, telephone ringing, patient call ringing, and printer printing sound.

2. The nursing robot as described in claim 1, wherein the central processing unit further performs a dietary assessment step, the dietary assessment step comprising: using the arm to pick up an uneaten meal; using the weighing unit to obtain the net weight of the uneaten meal to obtain the pre-consumption net weight; using the arm to pick up an eaten meal; using the weighing unit to obtain the net weight of the eaten meal to obtain the post-consumption net weight; and calculating the difference between the pre-consumption net weight and the post-consumption net weight to obtain a food quantity.

3. The nursing robot as described in claim 1, wherein the base is cuboid, and the base further comprises: an infrared sensing module disposed at a corner of the base, the infrared sensing module being connected to the central processing unit, the central processing unit detecting curb edges and steps based on the infrared sensing module; and an ultrasonic sensing module disposed at a corner of the base and slightly higher than the infrared sensing module, wherein... The ultrasonic sensing module is connected to the central processing unit (CPU), which detects transparent glass based on the ultrasonic sensing module; a base depth sensing module is located on the side of the base and is connected to the CPU, which detects dynamic obstacles based on the base depth sensing module; a light-sensing module is located on the side of the base and is slightly higher than the base depth sensing module, wherein the light-sensing module is connected to the CPU, and the CPU constructs a map based on the light-sensing module.

4. The nursing robot as described in claim 3, wherein the central processing unit performs an object movement step, the object movement step comprising: rotating the base using the drive module so that the scanning range of the light sensing module avoids an object; rotating the head using the neck so that the camera unit faces the object; using the arm control to secure the accessory to the object; moving the nursing robot and the object using the drive module, and detecting obstacles based on the light sensing module and the base depth sensing module; capturing surrounding images of the object using the camera unit, and detecting obstacles based on the surrounding images; and controlling the drive module to avoid the obstacles.

5. The nursing robot as described in claim 1 further includes a communication unit, and the central processing unit is connected to a hospital computer through the communication unit.

6. The nursing robot as described in claim 5, wherein the central processing unit further performs a medication safety procedure, the medication safety procedure comprising: the hospital computer transmitting a medication retrieval instruction and a medication weight to the central processing unit; using the arm to grasp a medication and placing the medication in the storage space; using the weighing unit to weigh the medication; and calculating the difference between the weighed weight and the medication weight to determine whether an error in medication administration has occurred.

7. The nursing robot as described in claim 1 further includes a housing disposed on top of the base, the housing forming a housing space, and the housing space storing multiple of the accessories; wherein, The accessory is one or a combination of two or more of the following: a three-finger module, a two-finger module, a suction cup module, a brush head module, and a barcode scanning module.

8. The nursing robot as described in claim 7, wherein the central processing unit performs a part replacement step, the part replacement step comprising: determining whether the current task is a large object retrieval task, a trolley movement task, a door lock opening / closing task, or a small object retrieval task; if it is a large object retrieval task, controlling the arm to the housing to connect the three-finger module to the lower arm; if it is a small object retrieval task, controlling the arm to the housing to connect the suction cup finger module to the lower arm; if it is a trolley movement task or a door lock opening / closing task, controlling the arm to the housing to connect the two-finger module to the lower arm.

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