Information and guiding system including a portable receiver device having an electromagnetic wave antenna and magnetic field sensor

• US 4,857,840 A
• Filed: 04/09/1986
• Issued: 08/15/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michel Lanchais
• Original Assignee: Michel Lanchais
• Inventors: Lanchais, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Strecker, Gerard R.
• Application Number:
  US06/862,496
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207, 324/208, 324/226, 324/260, 324/247, 340/988-993, 33/355 R, 33/361, 33/363 R, 342/450, 342/457, 342/458, 342/127, 342/146, 364/449, 364/452, 364/460, 364/424
• US Class Current: 324/207.26
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 17/00 Compasses; Devices for ascertaining true or magnetic north for navigation or surveying purposes using gyroscopic effect G01C19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/06 using intensity measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 1/08 using electric transmission ; transformation of alarm signals to electrical signals from a different medium, e.g. transmission of an electric alarm signal upon detection of an audible alarm signal
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/008 Touring maps or guides to public transport networks

Abstract

A portable device for communication is useable during movement by a person. Individual portable receivers (2), the size of a credit card, display and/or broadcast to a user, automatically or by selection, data coming via waves (3) coming from microwave or laser transmitters (1) and FM transmitters (4). The transmitters (1) can cover nerve zones such as population centers, and sequentially send a flow of data transmitted by a digital signal with for instance 900,000 bits/second. At the same time, the transmitters (4) are used to cover 95% of a territory in audio. This provides a service of public interest, allows changing the descriptive speech, provides a choice of messages, offers a presale service, and makes possible selective identification. The device also automatically pinpoints a position with a single transmitter and provides a target objective that is sought to be reached by the user, thus simultaneously meeting the requirements of urban, rural and interior location while being useable with all locomotion means.

Claims

1. A system for providing information to a user, comprising

transmitter means for transmitting to an area for service in which said user is moving at least two predetermined frequencies of electromagnetic radiation in alternating succession, said two frequencies being absorbed by different amounts during travel of said electromagnetic radiation from said transmitter means to said user, and

portable receiver means carried by said user for receiving said at least two frequencies, and for determining the distance between said transmitter means and said portable receiver means based on the difference in said absorption during transmission,

said portable receiver means including (1) magnetic field detection means for determining values corresponding to at least two components of the magnetic field where said user is located, corresponding to angular orientation of said portable receiver means with respect to said magnetic field and (2) user information means for determining information to be provided to said user, said user information means including indicator means for indicating said information to said user,

wherein:

said user is guided by said information indicated by said portable receiver means from his or her current position as determined by said portable receiver means to at least one of a predetermined target location and a selected target location selected by said user; and

said information indicated to said user depends on said distance and angular orientation as determined by said portable receiver means.

2. The system of claim 1, said transmitter means comprising means for transmitting respective information corresponding to said information indicated by said portable receiver means to said user, on at least one predetermined one of said two predetermined frequencies and a further frequency transmitted by said transmitting means and received by said portable receiver means.

3. The system of claim 2, said respective information corresponding to said information indicated to said user being transmitted on said further transmitted frequency, said further frequency being a radio wave.

4. The system of claim 1, said portable receiver means comprising a logarithmic amplifier means for providing a distance signal corresponding to said distance between said means for transmitting and said portable receiver means, said distance signal being provided as a difference between two signals corresponding to logarithms of two respective voltage levels in said portable receiver, said two respective voltage levels respectively corresponding to strengths of said two predetermined frequencies as received and processed by said portable receiver means.

5. The system of claim 1, said transmitter means including a transmitter and a reflector, said distance determined by said portable receiver means corresponding to the distance between said reflector and said portable receiver means.

6. The system of claim 1, said transmitter means, transmitting prerecorded data, said portable receiver means comprising selection means operated by said user to selectively store a part of said prerecorded data transmitted by said transmitter, wherein said information indicated to said user depends on said stored part of said prerecorded data and said determined distance and direction.

7. The system of claim 6, at least a part of said prerecorded data repeatedly transmitted by said transmitter means being transmitted in the form of modulations of said electromagnetic radiation at said two frequencies.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said transmitting of said two frequencies in alternating succession comprises FSK (frequency-shift keying) transmission, and said transmission of prerecorded data comprises PCM (pulse code modulation).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said area for serivce is an area in the vicinity of the surface of the planet Earth, and said two components of the magnetic field are orthogonal horizontal components, said magnetic field detection means includes respective component means for measuring each said magnetic field component, each said component means measuring the magnetic field along a respective predetermined direction with respect to said portable receiver means.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said portable receiver means for said determining of said distance comprises means for producing a signal in said portable receiver means with amplitude alternating proportional to the received electromagnetic radiation at said two frequencies, taking the logarithms of the two amplitudes corresponding to the received electromagnetic radiation at the two wavelengths, and determining said distance proportionaly to the difference between said two logarithms.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises visual means for indicating said information to the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said indicator means comprises audio means for indicating said information to the user.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said two different wavelengths are in the vicinity of an oxygen absorption band.

14. The system of claim 13, said oxygen absorption band being the 3-rho-sigma band at approximately 60 Ghz.

15. The system of claim 13, said oxygen absorption band being an infrared absorption band.

16. The system of claim 1, said transmitter means comprising laser means for providing said electromagnetic radiation at said two different wavelengths.