Systems and methods providing tactile guidance using sensory supplementation
US6320496A · kind A · utility
Assignees
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 29, 1999 |
| Grant date | Nov 20, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 29, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01C21/20
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A tactile guidance system and method provides a user with navigational assistance through continuous background communication. This continuous background communication is realized through tactile cueing. By making the direction giving through tactile cues, a user's main attention can focus on visual and auditory cues in the real world, instead of focusing on the direction giving device itself. An electronic compass maintains the orientation of a user. A navigation state is maintained as a combination of orientation, location and destination. A guidance server provides a mapping from a user's current location to directions to a desired destination. Communication links maintain communication between the tactile direction device and the guidance server. The compass, tactile direction device, communication links and guidance server all interact to provide direction information to a user via a tactile surface. The tactile direction device is small enough to be hand-held or incorporated, for example, into a briefcase handle.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.