Guiding device and guiding method

• US 7,664,598 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kakuya, Sugiyama, Keiji, Hirai, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/593,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,483 Days
• Field of Search: 701/210, 701/207, 701/300, 701/301, 240/435, 240/995.22, 240/995.23, 240/995.24
• US Class Current: 701/210
• 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: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/062 indicating emergency exits
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/064 indicating houses needing emergency help, e.g. with a flashing light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0969 having a display in the form of a map

Abstract

The present invention provides a guiding device that can induce a user to move according to a guiding route.

The guiding device according to the present invention is a guiding device which guides a user, including an acquisition unit (101) which acquires a guiding route for the user, a recognition unit (102) which recognizes an object which exists in the user'"'"'s vicinity, a management unit (104) which manages an object and an adjustment method for adjusting an influence that the object has on the movement of the user, by associating the object and the adjustment method in advance, a judgment unit (103) which judges whether or not the object recognized by the recognition unit (102) exists within the guiding route acquired by the acquisition unit (101), and an adjustment unit (110) which executes a specified adjustment process based on the judgment made by the judgment unit (102), and on the adjustment method managed in association with the object recognized by the recognition unit (102).

Claims

1. A guiding device which guides a user, said guiding device comprising:

an acquisition unit operable to acquire a guiding route for the user;

a recognition unit operable to recognize an object which exists in the vicinity of the user;

a management unit operable to manage an object and an adjustment method for adjusting an influence that the object has on an action of the user, by associating the object and the adjustment method in advance;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether or not the object recognized by said recognition unit exists within the guiding route acquired by said acquisition unit; and

an adjustment unit operable to adjust an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object based on a result obtained by said judgment unit, and on the adjustment method managed in association with the object recognized by said recognition unit.

2. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is operable to augment an extent to which the object attracts the user, in the case where the object is judged to exist within the guiding route.

3. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is operable to reduce an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object, in the case where the object is judged to exist within the guiding route.

4. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is operable to reduce an extent to which the object attracts the user, in the case where the object is judged not to exist within the guiding route.

5. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is operable to augment an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object, in the case where the object is judged to not exist within the guiding route.

6. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is a head mounted display which is operable to present a specified image to the user by making the specified image overlap the object, or outlining an area around the object.

7. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is a head mounted display operable to present a specified audio to the user so that the specified audio is audible from the direction of the object, or to prevent the specified audio from being audible from the direction of the object.

8. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is a projector which is operable to project an image onto the object.

9. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said adjustment unit is an air-conditioning device operable to make the object conduct an air flow.

10. The guiding device according to claim 1,

wherein said management unit is operable to manage one of an attraction list which is a collection of phenomena that influence an extent to which the user is attracted, and a resistance list which is a collection of phenomena which influence an extent to which the user shows resistance;

and

said adjustment unit is operable to cause a phenomenon included in one of the attraction list and the resistance list to occur.

11. The guiding device according to claim 10, further comprising

a history accumulation unit operable to accumulate an action history of the user,

wherein said management unit is operable to update contents of one of the attraction list and the resistance list to contents reflecting a preference of the user, based on the action history of the user accumulated in said history accumulation unit.

12. A guiding method of guiding a user, said guiding method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring a guiding route for the user;

a recognition step of recognizing an object which exists in the vicinity of the user;

an association step of associating in advance an object and an adjustment method for adjusting an influence that the object has on an action of the user;

a judgment step of judging whether or not the object recognized in said recognition step exists within the guiding route acquired in said acquisition step; and

an adjustment step of adjusting an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object based on a result obtained in said judgment step, and on the adjustment method managed in association with the object recognized in said recognition step.

13. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program for guiding a user is stored,

wherein the program causes a computer to execute a method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring a guiding route for the user;

a recognition step of recognizing an object which exists in the vicinity of the user;

an association step of associating in advance an object and an adjustment method for adjusting an influence that the object has on an action of the user;

a judgment step of judging whether or not the object recognized in said recognition step exists within the guiding route acquired in said acquisition step; and

an adjustment step of adjusting an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object based on a result obtained in said judgment step, and on the adjustment method managed in association with the object recognized in said recognition unit.

14. An integrated circuit which guides a user, said integrated circuit comprising:

an acquisition unit operable to acquire a guiding route for the user;

a recognition unit operable to recognize an object which exists in the vicinity of the user;

a management unit operable to manage an object and an adjustment method for adjusting an influence that the object has on an action of the user, by associating the object and the adjustment method in advance;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether or not the object recognized by said recognition unit exists within the guiding route acquired by said acquisition unit; and

an adjustment unit operable to adjust an extent to which the user shows resistance to the object based on a result obtained by said judgment unit, and on the adjustment method managed in association with the object recognized by said recognition unit.