Telepresence Robot Control Using Video-Map Alignment and Action Tags
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current telepresence robots lack effective navigation and control systems that integrate real-time video feeds with plan view maps, limiting their ability to dynamically adjust paths and execute actions based on environmental conditions and user inputs.
Innovation Solution
A telepresence robot system with a local terminal that processes video feeds from a remote robot, overlays plan view maps with three-dimensional renditions of tags and paths, and transmits commands to navigate and execute actions, using coordinate transformations and user inputs to dynamically adjust navigation and actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If real-time video feeds are integrated with plan view maps for navigation, then navigation accuracy and environmental awareness are improved, but system complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the plan view map display with the real-time video feed by overlaying the two-dimensional map on top of the three-dimensional video feed. This integration allows the system to provide both environmental awareness and navigation accuracy simultaneously, while the overlay technique manages computational complexity by reusing existing video feed data rather than processing separate streams independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the navigation interface by adding a two-dimensional plan view overlay on top of the three-dimensional video feed. This dimensional addition provides top-down spatial context and navigation path information without replacing the immersive 3D view, thereby improving navigation accuracy while maintaining the benefits of real-time video feedback.
2Adaptability or versatility
If three-dimensional renditions of tags are overlaid on video feeds, then user interaction and environmental understanding are improved, but rendering complexity and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates simplified three-dimensional renditions of tags by generating virtual copies that match the physical tags' positions and orientations. These rendered tags are overlaid on the video feed at corresponding locations, providing enhanced user interaction cues without requiring complex real-time modeling or reconstruction of the entire environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The three-dimensional tag renditions serve as intermediary elements between the physical environment and the user interface. These virtual tags provide interaction points and environmental information without requiring direct manipulation of complex 3D models, thereby improving user interaction while managing rendering complexity through standardized tag representations.
3Measurement precision
If coordinate transformations are applied to align map and video feeds, then spatial accuracy and path visualization are improved, but processing time and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs coordinate transformations and aligns the plan view map with the video feed coordinates in advance, before displaying the integrated navigation interface. This preliminary processing establishes the spatial relationship between the 2D map and 3D video feed once, allowing subsequent tag overlays and path visualizations to be rendered efficiently without repeated transformation calculations.
Data Source
AI summary
A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a plan view map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a plan view map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.