Method and system for displaying guidance information

• US 6,924,741 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 08/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Atsushi, Tamayama, Shotaro, Terasawa, Seiji, Ishibashi, Keiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHMOOD, JENNIFER
• Application Number:
  US10/368,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20040051644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.05, 340/572.1, 340/815.4, 340/944, 340/925, 340/573.4, 705/28, 701/211
• US Class Current: 340/572.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19608 Tracking movement of a target, e.g. by detecting an object predefined as a target, using target direction and or velocity to predict its new position
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19641 Multiple cameras having overlapping views on a single scene
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19691 Signalling events for better perception by user, e.g. indicating alarms by making display brighter, adding text, creating a sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19697 Arrangements wherein non-video detectors generate an alarm themselves
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/2462 Asset location systems combined with EAS inventory, tracking, logistic G06Q10/00; entrance control systems G07C9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/248 EAS system combined with another detection technology, e.g. dual EAS and video or other presence detection system
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

In an airport terminal 1, an identification tag 5 for transmitting inherent identification tag information and its position information is handed to a customer 6. The information is received by a tag recognition apparatus 2 and transferred to a recognition PC 8 which analyzes the received information and transmits the analysis result to an image data server 9. The server 9 reads out image data for a guidance convenient to the customer 6. An image creation PC 10 generates a guidance image signal base on the image data and transmits it to an image projector 3 closest to the customer 6 thereby to display a guidance image 4 on a floor surface 1a near the customer 6. If the customer 6 has enough time, the guidance information of available facilities is displayed as a part of the guidance image 4.

Claims

1. A system for displaying guidance information on a floor in a large-scale facility, comprising:

a plurality of tag recognition apparatuses located in the facility, each for sensing tag information stored in a tag device carried by a user, said tag information including a tag identifier and position information of the tag device;

a plurality of image projectors located in the facility, each for selectively projecting a guidance image to a partial area on the floor; and

a facility server communicable with said tag recognition apparatuses and said image projectors, for receiving tag information from each of said tag recognition apparatuses, and analyzing received tag information to select one of said image projectors for each tag device;

said facility server comprising;

a recognition unit for removing a data entry from a database in accordance with each tag identifier extracted from the tag information received from each of said tag recognition apparatuses, and for specifying a guidance destination and an advance direction based on the position information extracted from the tag information and a retrieved data entry which includes user information and guidance destination corresponding to the tag identifier;

an image data server for storing various image data therein and for retrieving image data corresponding to the guidance destination and advance direction specified by said recognition unit; and

an image creation unit for creating guidance image signals based on the image data obtained from said image data server, and for transmitting the guidance image signals to said selected one of said image projectors, so that said selected one of said image projectors projects a guidance image to a partial area on the floor near the tag device carried by the user according to the guidance image signals.

2. A system for displaying guidance information according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said tag recognition apparatuses transmits the tag information to said facility server periodically with a predetermined time interval;

said facility server selects one of said image projectors nearest to the tag device carried by the user based on said tag information received; and

each of said image projectors shifts the partial area to be a projection area of the guidance image in accordance with movement of the tag device.

3. A system for displaying guidance information according to claim 1, wherein:

said data entry retrieved by said recognition unit from the database includes time information designating the time when the user should arrive at the guidance destination.

said recognition unit includes means for analyzing the time information to determine whether there is enough time by the designated time, for notifying a result of the determination to said image data server, and for transmitting position information of the tag device to a service sewer connected via a communication line in the case where there is enough time, said service server storing service information on facilities available to users depending on the position information, and

said image data server includes means for receiving, from said service server when there is enough time, service information on facilities near the current position of the tag device carried by the user, and supplying guidance image signals created based an the service information to said image creation unit.

4. A System for displaying guidance information according to claim 3, wherein said selected one of said image projectors projects on the floor a guidance image including service information on facilities near the tag device carried by the user, when there is enough time by the designated time.

5. A system for displaying guidance information according to claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of tag identifiers belonging to a group is registered as a grouping tag in a data entry of said database, so that said image creation unit creates guidance image signals indicating a direction of the other member of the group.

6. A displaying guidance information system, comprising:

one or more image projectors arranged at different locations in a facility, each for selectively projecting a guidance image to a partial area in the facility;

one or more tag recognition apparatuses arranged at different locations in the facility, each for sensing tag information stored in a tag device carried by a user, said tag information including a tag identifier and position information of the tag device; and

a facility server arranged to communicate with said tag recognition apparatuses and said image projectors, for receiving tag information from each of said tag recognition apparatuses, and for analyzing received tag information to select one of said image projectors for each tag device, said facility server comprising;

means for retrieving a data entry from a database in accordance with each tag identifier extracted from the tag information received from each of said tag recognition apparatuses, for specifying a guidance destination and an advance direction based on the position information extracted from the tag information and a retrieved data entry which includes user information and guidance destination corresponding to the tag identifier, and for retrieving image data corresponding to the guidance destination and advance direction specified; and

means for creating guidance image signals based on the image data and for transmitting the guidance image signals to said selected one of said image projectors, so that said selected one of said image projectors projects a guidance image to a partial area in the facility near the tag device carried by the user according to the guidance image signals.

7. A displaying guidance information system according to claim 6, wherein:

each of said tag recognition apparatuses transmits the tag information to said facility server periodically with a predetermined time interval;

said facility server selects one of said image projectors nearest to the tag device carried by the user based on said tag information received; and

each of said image projectors shifts the partial area to be a projection area of the guidance image in accordance with movement of the tag device.

8. A displaying guidance information system according to claim 6, wherein said data entry retrieved from the database includes time information designating the time when the user should arrive at the guidance destination, and wherein facility server further comprises:

means for analyzing the time information to determine whether there is enough time by the designated time, and for transmitting position information of the tag device to a remote service server, via a communication line, when there is enough time, said remote service server storing service information on facilities available to users depending on the position information, and

means for receiving, from said remote service sewer, when there is enough time, service information on facilities near the current position of the tag device carried by the user, and supplying guidance image signals created bused on the service information.

9. A displaying guidance information system according to claim 8, wherein said selected one of said image projectors projects a guidance image including service information to the partial area in the facility near the tag device carried by the user, when there is enough time by the designated time.

10. A displaying guidance information system according to claim 6, wherein each of a plurality of tag identifiers belonging to a group is registered as a grouping tag in a data entry of said database, so that said facility server creates guidance image signals indicating a direction of the other member of the group.