Device for assisting in the navigation of a person

• US 8,825,398 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Lamy-Perbal, Sylvie, Gelin, Rodolphe, Alexandre, Jean-Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Mary
• Assistant Examiner(s): BRUSHABER, FREDERICK M
• Application Number:
  US12/673,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20100305845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 701/201, 701/541, 701/538, 701/534, 701/527, 701/505
• US Class Current: 701/505
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2003/063 with tactile perception
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for assisting in the navigation of a person, both inside and outside a building. The device, being fitted to the person, comprises at least: a computer (41) comprising in memory a digitized map of the place (1) in which the path of the person is planned between a departure point and an arrival point, and a location software; a human-machine interface linked to the computer; a set of sensors (42) worn by the person and linked to the computer, the sensors delivering information about the movements of the person; the location software performing a processing of the signals originating from the sensors (42) and from the interface, and performing the fusion of the data provided by the digitized map and the information arising from the sensors and from the interface, and then calculating on the basis of these data the absolute location of the person on the map and correcting the position estimation errors.

Claims

1. A device configured to assist in indoor navigation of a person, said device being fitted to the person, the device comprising:

a computer comprising at least one processor and a memory, the memory storing a mapping of a place in which a path of the person is planned between a departure point and an arrival point, the departure point being entered by an absolute location, and storing a location software;

a human-machine interface linked to the computer; and

a set of sensors comprising an inertial unit worn by the person and linked to the computer, the set of sensors configured to deliver information about movements of the person and the position of the person in said mapping in an indoor area,

wherein the at least one processor executing the location software is configured to;

process signals originating from the set of sensors and from the human-machine interface,

fuse data provided by the mapping and the information processed from the set of sensors and from the human-machine interface,

calculate, based on the fused data and the information, a relative location of the person without use of prior learned places,

calculate an updated path to be traveled as a function of identified attained intermediate objectives of the path between the absolute location and the arrival point, the intermediate objectives being marked on said mapping such that once a particular intermediate objective has been reached, the device provides a new intermediate objective to be attained,

determine that the set of sensors has a drift,

perform a realignment of the location of the person in the indoor area with respect to the mapping to remove lateral positioning errors in response to the determined drift of the set of sensors,

determining a signature of a signal originating from at least one of the set of sensors,

determining a movement characteristic of the person based upon the determined signature, and

identifying that the particular intermediate objective is reached based upon the determined movement characteristic of the person.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a navigation software calculates a route to be traveled by the person on the path based on the calculated location of the person, and provides information necessary for the navigation of the person based on signals originating from the human-machine interface.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the particular intermediate objective reached is identified by an information cue provided to the human-machine interface by the person.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device is configured to implement an iterative process as a function of a renewal of the intermediate objectives to be reached along the entire path, the intermediate objective to be reached being defined, by:

calculating an estimation of a path of a trajectory;

if the intermediate objective is reached, defining a new intermediate objective to be reached; and

if the intermediate objective is not reached, defining a probabilistic estimation, based on a history of positions of the person, of the position of the person and a new intermediate objective to be reached.