Medical tele-robotic system with a master remote station with an arbitrator
A robotic system that includes a mobile robot linked to a plurality of remote stations. One of the remote stations includes an arbitrator that controls access to the robot. Each remote station may be assigned a priority that is used by the arbitrator to determine which station has access to the robot. The arbitrator may include notification and call back mechanisms for sending messages relating to an access request and a granting of access for a remote station.
1. A robotic teleconferencing system, comprising:
a first teleconferencing device and a second teleconferencing device that each have a camera that can generate an image and be remotely controlled in at least three degrees of freedom, a monitor, a speaker, and a microphone that can generate audio;
a first remote station that can access said first and second teleconferencing devices, said first remote station including a camera, a monitor that can receive said image from said first or second teleconferencing devices, a microphone and a speaker that can produce audio provided by said first or second teleconferencing devices;
a second remote station that can access said first and second teleconferencing devices, said second remote station including a camera, a monitor that can receive said image from said first and second teleconferencing devices, a microphone and a speaker that can produce audio provided by said first and second teleconferencing devices; and,
a server coupled to said first and second teleconferencing devices and said first and second remote stations, said server allows exclusive access to said first teleconferencing device by said first remote station wherein said image and audio from said first teleconferencing device is provided to said first remote station and said image and audio are not provided to said second remote station and even though said second remote station is prevented from accessing said first teleconferencing device said server allows said second remote station to access said second teleconferencing device.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said server includes a notification mechanism.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said server includes a timeout mechanism.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein said server includes a queue mechanism.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein said server includes a call back mechanism.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first and second remote stations each have a priority and said server provides teleconferencinq device access to said remote station with a highest priority.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein said remote stations are given priority as a local user, a doctor, a caregiver, a family member, a service user or another teleconferencing device.
8. A method for controlling access to a plurality of teleconferencing devices, comprising:
providing a first teleconferencing device and a second teleconferencing device that each have a monitor, a camera that can generate an image, a speaker and a microphone that can generate audio;
providing a plurality of remote stations, including a first remote station and a second remote station, each remote station including a camera, a monitor that can receive the image from the first or second teleconferencing devices, a microphone and a speaker that can produce audio provided by the first or second teleconferencinq devices;
transmitting a request to access the first teleconferencing device from the first remote station; transmitting a request to access the first teleconferencing device from the second remote station;
allowing exclusive access to the first teleconferencinq device by the first remote station wherein the image and audio from the first teleconferencing device is provided to the first remote station and the image and audio are not provided to the second remote station;
transmitting a request to access the second teleconferencing device from the second remote station; and,
accessing the second teleconferencinq device by the second remote station.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving a request to access the first teleconferencing device from the second remote station and notifying the first remote station of the request.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising creating a time interval in which the first remote station must relinquish access to the first teleconferencing device.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the request from the second remote station is placed in a waiting list queue.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising transmitting a call back message to the second remote station to indicate the granting of access to the first teleconferencinq device.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the access request includes a priority that is evaluated to determine access to the first teleconferencing device.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the remote stations are given priority as a local user, a doctor, a caregiver, a family member, a service user or another teleconferencing device.
15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second teleconferencinq device operates in either an exclusive mode or a sharing mode.
16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second remote station's request to access the first teleconferencinq device is initially transmitted to a server.
17. The method of claim 8 , wherein the second remote station's request to access the first teleconferencinq device is initially transmitted to the first teleconferencinq device.