Robot and exoskeleton system for cell sites and towers
In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to robot systems configured to operate on a cell tower to inspect, install, reconfigure, and repair cellular equipment. The present disclosure provides a robot for performing audit tasks of cell towers. The robot includes a body portion configured to hold various electronic components of the robot including monitoring equipment disposed thereon, one or more arms extending from the body portion adapted to manipulate components of a cell tower and to facilitate movement of the robot on the cell tower, and wireless interfaces configured to receive control signals from an exoskeleton suit, wherein the exoskeleton suit is adapted to control the robot. The robot is configured to be controlled by one of a user in a remote location, a user at the cell tower site, and autonomously via direct programing.
1 . A robot for performing audit tasks of cell towers, the robot comprising:
a body portion configured to hold various electronic components of the robot comprising monitoring equipment disposed thereon;
one or more arms extending from the body portion adapted to manipulate components of a cell tower and to facilitate movement of the robot on the cell tower, the robotic arms are configured to selectively attach to and detach from structural elements of the cell tower, and wherein each arm comprises a claw including an image sensor disposed at a distal end configured to capture images of components during manipulation;
a continuous track coupled to the body portion;
electromagnets integrated in treads of the continuous track, the electromagnets being selectively enabled such that only treads in a predetermined contact position are energized to secure the robot to a steel portion of the cell tower;
wireless interfaces configured to receive control signals from an exoskeleton suit worn by a user, the exoskeleton suit including body-worn sensors that sense limb motions of the user and enable low-latency, real-time manual manipulation of the one or more arms by mapping the sensed limb motions to joint motions of the arms with live video feedback from the image sensors presented to the user, and wherein the exoskeleton suit enables real-time manual or semi-autonomous manipulation of the robot's arms during inspection and interaction with cell tower components; and
wherein the robot is housed on the cell tower between operations in a docking station mounted on the cell tower, and is configured to autonomously leave the docking station to perform the audit tasks.
2 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the exoskeleton suit comprises a headset and one or more control components.
3 . The robot of claim 2 , wherein the control components are any of wearable and handheld devices.
4 . The robot of claim 2 , wherein the control components include wearable devices around a user's arms or wearable devices around a user's entire body.
5 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the exoskeleton suit is adapted to be operated by a user standing up or sitting down.
6 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the body portion further comprises storage compartments configured to hold tools and equipment including RF analyzers, alignment gauges, and replacement fasteners, the storage compartments being accessible by the one or more arms while the robot remains attached to the tower, such that tools can be retrieved and returned without human climbing intervention.
7 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the body portion further comprises elongated compartments, and wherein the one or more arms are configured to stow within the elongated compartments, such that the arms are protected during idle periods or when the robot is docked on the cell tower.
8 . The robot of claim 1 , wherein the robot is configured to be controlled by one of a user in a remote location, a user at the cell tower site, and autonomously via direct programing.
9 . A robot for performing audit tasks of cell towers, the robot comprising:
a body portion configured to hold various electronic components of the robot comprising monitoring equipment disposed thereon;
one or more arms extending from the body portion adapted to manipulate components of a cell tower and to facilitate movement of the robot on the cell tower, the robotic arms are configured to selectively attach to and detach from structural elements of the cell tower, and wherein each arm comprises a claw including an image sensor disposed at a distal end configured to capture images of components during manipulation;
a continuous track coupled to the body portion;
electromagnets integrated in treads of the continuous track, the electromagnets being selectively enabled such that only treads in a predetermined contact position are energized to secure the robot to a steel portion of the cell tower;
wireless interfaces configured to receive control signals from an exoskeleton suit worn by a user, the exoskeleton suit including body-worn sensors that sense limb motions of the user and enable low-latency, real-time manual manipulation of the one or more arms by mapping the sensed limb motions to joint motions of the arms with live video feedback from the image sensors presented to the user, and wherein the exoskeleton suit enables real-time manual or semi-autonomous manipulation of the robot's arms during inspection and interaction with cell tower components;
a processor coupled to the wireless interfaces; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
process commands received from the exoskeleton suit to position the robot on the cell tower to perform an audit task chosen from a plurality of operations to the cell tower;
process commands received from the exoskeleton suit to capture data associated with components being audited based on the audit being performed;
process the data collected to verify whether the component being audited is in a predetermined condition; and
coordinate with a tower-mounted docking station to initiate deployment and return of the robot without manual assistance.
10 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the exoskeleton suit comprises a headset and one or more control components.
11 . The robot of claim 10 , wherein the control components are any of wearable and handheld devices.
12 . The robot of claim 10 , wherein the control components include wearable devices around a user's arms or wearable devices around a user's entire body.
13 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the exoskeleton suit is adapted to be operated by a user standing up or sitting down.
14 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of operations include any of inspecting and monitoring a component of the cell tower, performing repair, and installing components of the cell tower.
15 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to utilize a Machine Learning (ML) model to learn and improve the robot's ability to work on the cell tower over time.
16 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the robot is configured to be controlled by one of a user in a remote location, a user at the cell tower site, and autonomously via direct programing.
17 . The robot of claim 9 , further comprising magnets disposed on the body portion, wherein the magnets are selectively enabled electromagnets adapted to secure the robot to the cell tower, and wherein the instructions further cause the processor to control the selectively enabled magnets.
18 . The robot of claim 9 , wherein the body portion further comprises elongated compartments, and wherein the one or more arms are configured to stow within the elongated compartments, such that the arms are protected during idle periods or when the robot is docked on the cell tower.
19 . A method implemented by an exoskeleton suit worn by a user adapted to control a robot, the method comprising steps of:
positioning a robot on a cell tower via a continuous track of the robot comprising electromagnets integrated in treads of the continuous track, the electromagnets being selectively enabled such that only treads in a predetermined contact position are energized to secure the robot to the cell tower to perform an audit task chosen from a plurality of operations to the cell tower;
capturing data associated with components being audited based on the audit being performed; and
processing the data collected to verify whether the component being audited is in a predetermined condition, including determining alignment, structural integrity, or configuration compliance of the components; and
mapping sensed limb motions of the user to joint commands of one or more arms of the robot in real time while displaying live video from a distal image sensor of a claw to the user.
20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of operations include any of inspecting and monitoring a component of the cell tower, performing repair, and installing components of the cell tower.