1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a process for guiding an individual through an indoor environment. More specifically, the process presents a graphical representation of a route for navigating through an indoor environment and several features providing assistance for guiding the individual accordingly.
2. Background Art
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) provide geographical coordinates and graphical routing guidance to individuals. The GPS utilizes telemetry from satellite signals. The GPS receiver must be in a location capable of receiving the satellite signals. Since the location of the device is determined by triangulation of the satellite signals, the system can't utilize redirected signals. Thus, the GPS receiver is only effective in an environment directly accessible to the satellite signals. The GPS receivers are ineffective in environments where the RF satellite signals are blocked. These areas are quite common, including inside buildings, ships, offshore installations, underground facilities, and the like.
Thus, what is desired is a process for guiding an individual through an indoor environment.
The present invention is directed to a process and respective device that guides an individual through an environment where RF satellite signals for GPS systems are unavailable.
displaying a graphical representation of the location of the individual based upon the location of the specific read machine readable reference marker; and
displaying at least one next movement in accordance with the predetermined route.
In a second aspect of the present invention, the machine readable reference markers are Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID).
In another aspect of the present invention, the machine readable reference markers are linear barcode labels.
In another aspect of the present invention, the machine readable reference markers are matrix barcode labels.
In yet another aspect, the process includes a representation of a single floor of an environment.
In yet another aspect, the process includes a representation of multiple floors of an environment.
In yet another aspect, the process includes guidance for changing floors. The guidance can include one or more methods for changing floors, including a stairway, an elevator, an escalator, a ladder, and the like.
In yet another aspect, the process can include photographic images to aid the individual in identifying a target location.
In yet another aspect, the process can include graphical images to identify or convey at least one hazardous area.
In yet another aspect, the process can include graphical images to identify or convey at least one restricted area.
The process for guiding an individual through an environment provides several advantages over the currently available navigation processes. The use of GPS is limited to RF exposed environments, such as outdoors or near windows or openings of buildings. The inventive process provides guidance through an environment where GPS is inoperable. The inventive process provides additional guidance including directions for transferring between floors within the environment. The inventive process provides photographic images to aid in determining a desired next route coordinate.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings, which follow.
For a fuller understanding of the nature of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the described embodiments or the application and uses of the described embodiments. As used herein, the word “exemplary” or “illustrative” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” or “illustrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations. All of the implementations described below are exemplary implementations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to make or use the embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, which is defined by the claims. For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “rear”, “right”, “front”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
An exemplary first floor facility layout 100 is presented in
The first floor facility layout 100 is representative of a plan of a facility. The facility is defined by a series of facility exterior walls 110 defining a facility exterior 112. A facility exterior wall interior surface 114 of the facility exterior wall 110 defines a peripheral interior surface. At least one facility egress 116 is provided through the facility exterior wall 110, wherein the facility egress 116 provides a passageway for the individual to enter the facility. A series of optional interior walls 120 can be installed within the building and represented in the graphical images. One or more interior passageways 122, 124, 126 can be constructed within the interior walls 120, providing passageways for the individual to traverse between rooms within the facility. The exemplary facility layout includes three (3) interior passageways: a first interior passageway 122, a second interior passageway 124, and a third interior passageway 126. It is understood that the facility layout can include any number of interior walls 120 and respective interior passageways 122, 124, 126. The facility layout can be provided in any architectural arrangement. The exemplary facility layout is of a first floor and identified as such by a first floor reference 102. It is understood that the passageways 116, 122, 124, 126 can be an opening in a wall, a doorway, a bulkhead, and the like.
The facility layout can be used to define a routing pathway, such as an inspection route 200 for an individual. The inspection route 200 would include a series of coordinates arranged along a desired path, wherein the path defines an inspection route for inspecting one or more pieces of equipment (such as exemplary pumps 130), facility locations, and the like. The exemplary inspection route 200 includes a series of nine reference coordinate locations 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219. A route segment 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229 is provided between each sequential reference coordinate location 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219. A coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 can be located within the facility proximate each respective reference coordinate location 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219. The coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 can be located at any suitable location, including along a wall, adjacent to a passageway, adjacent to a doorway, adjacent to a stairway, adjacent to an elevator, adjacent to an escalator, adjacent to a ladder, and the like. The coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 can be located adjacent to equipment such as a pump 130, electrical instrumentation, and the like. The coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 can also be used to identify the respective floor or level of the facility. The coordinate reference tags 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 are machine readable devices, including linear barcode labels, matrix or 2-dimensional barcode labels, Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID), and the like.
Each of the reference coordinate locations 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219 along the inspection route 200 could be associated with an inspection point within the facility such as a pump 130, electrical instrumentation, and the like. The operator would use the graphical route navigation device 150 to read the data from each respective coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 and record associated inspection data. The graphical route navigation device 150 would direct the operator to the subsequent reference coordinate location 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219 upon entry of the associated inspection data at the current reference coordinate location 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219. The route can include inspection of equipment, such as pumps 130.
The graphical route navigation would be processed and displayed upon a graphical route navigation device 150. The graphical route navigation process can be provided as an application for any suitable portable computing device including a tablet, a smart phone, and the like. The graphical route navigation process displays a series of screen images 400, 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420 presented in the illustrations of
The process would initialize when the operator uses the graphical route navigation device 150 to interface with the initial route coordinate reference tag 231. Upon reading the initial route coordinate reference tag 231, the graphical route navigation device 150 displays a first coordinate screen image 400 as presented in the exemplary illustration of
Upon reading the second route coordinate reference tag 232, the graphical route navigation device 150 determines and displays the subsequent route segment, second route segment 222, as illustrated in
Upon reading the third route coordinate reference tag 233, the graphical route navigation device 150 determines and displays the subsequent route segment, third route segment 223, as illustrated in
During execution of the process, the operator can encounter any of a variety of scenarios needing assistance. A first exemplary scenario is where the individual traveled off path, ending up at an incorrect location, as illustrated in
Should the individual need assistance in finding the location of the second route coordinate reference tag 232, the user can select the second path coordinate 212 on the screen. The selection of the second path coordinate 212 activates a photographic aid screen image 408. The photographic aid screen image 408 is identified as such by a photographic image reference 510. The photographic aid screen image 408 displays a photographic image 500 comprising one or more distinguishing components within the photographic image 512 to help the individual identify the subsequent coordinates, wherein the exemplary subsequent coordinates are associated with the second path coordinate 212. Upon review of the photographic image 500 and a reasonable confidence for locating the target position within the structure, the user would select the return icon 520 to return to the incorrect coordinate screen image 406.
The facility may include multiple floors. This introduces a new set of issues that need to be addressed. The graphical route navigation device 150 needs to include steps to instruct the individual to change floors. Examples of process steps and respective screen images 410, 412, 414, 416 present several options on steps for instructing the individual to proceed to change floors.
A first example of this scenario is presented in the floor transfer instruction screen 410 displayed in
The graphical route navigation device 150 can include a capability of displaying a segment associated with an exemplary route about the exemplary third (3rd) floor layout 300 as displayed in the third floor layout screen image 412, as presented in
The graphical route navigation device 150 can include a capability of displaying a segment associated with an exemplary route about the exemplary ninth (9th) floor layout 900 as displayed in the ninth floor layout screen image 414, as presented in
The user can select the downward floor transition icon 260, which opens a floor transfer multiple instruction screen 416. The floor transfer multiple instruction screen 416 enables the individual to obtain information respective to alternatives for transport between floors. The floor transfer multiple instruction screen 416 displays a floor transfer instruction selection screen 502 having an instruction summary 532 and a series of available transportation modes 540, 542, 544. The user would select one of the available transportation modes 540, 542, 544, more specifically, a stair transfer instruction icon 540, a ladder transfer instruction icon 542, or a elevator transfer instruction icon 544 to modify the instruction set illustrated in ninth floor layout screen image 414. Once the desired transportation mode 540, 542, 544 is selected, the user contacts a return icon 522 to return to the ninth floor layout screen image 414. The ninth floor layout screen image 414 would display one of the following icons, the stair icon 256, a ladder icon 258, or a elevator icon 259, wherein the displayed icon 256, 258, 259 is respective to the selected transportation mode 540, 542, 544 and update the floor transition route segment 283 accordingly. The inter-floor icon 256, 258, 259 would be displayed in a location representative of the actual location within the respective floor. It is understood that the inter-floor transportation options presented in the floor transfer multiple instruction screen 416 would include any available option, including stairs, ladders, elevators, escalators, poles, and the like. The instruction summary 532 would present a summary of available the inter-floor transportation options.
The graphical route navigation device 150 can include a capability of displaying a warning associated with an exemplary route about the exemplary ninth (9th) floor layout 900 as displayed in the warning layout screen image 418, as presented in
In addition to determining the location of the individual within the structure, the process can additionally record the time where each route coordinate reference tag 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239 is read by the graphical route navigation device 150.
It is understood that the embodiments presented herein are exemplary in nature and that the specific processes presented by the graphical route navigation device 150 would be designed about a specific application. The information including the photographic aids, the inter-floor transportation modes, the warnings and restricted area notifications, and the like would be tailored to the actual environment.
Since many modifications, variations, and changes in detail can be made to the described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is intended that all matters in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Thus, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalence.
This PCT application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/739,086, filed on Dec. 19, 2012
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2013/076938 | 12/17/2013 | WO | 00 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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61739086 | Dec 2012 | US |