Environmental Actuator Guidance for Device-Free Indoor Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation systems in large or complex environments require special equipment like smartphones, augmented reality headsets, or robots, making them inaccessible to individuals without such devices.
Innovation Solution
Utilize existing actuators and sensors in the environment, such as lights and sound devices, to guide individuals without additional equipment, leveraging a digital model of the environment to dynamically adjust paths and activate actuators based on sensor data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If special equipment like smartphones, augmented reality headsets, or robots are used for navigation, then guidance accuracy and information delivery are improved, but accessibility and cost are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by making the navigation system accessible to all individuals regardless of whether they have smartphones or other personal terminals. The system uses existing infrastructure (actuators and sensors in the environment) that everyone can access, eliminating the need for personal equipment while still providing comprehensive guidance information through multiple channels (visual, auditory, haptic feedback from environmental actuators).
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies self-service by using environmental sensors to automatically detect the user's position and progress, then dynamically activating actuators along the path without requiring the user to manually interact with a personal device. The environment itself serves the navigation function through existing infrastructure.
2Measurement precision
If environmental sensors are used to track user position and dynamically adjust paths, then guidance accuracy is improved, but computing resources and processing requirements are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the environment into zones with specific actuators and sensors, and by calculating paths segment by segment rather than computing all possible paths in advance. This allows the system to process only relevant information for the user's current location and intended destination, reducing overall computational load while maintaining precise position detection through localized sensor activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by activating only the actuators and sensors necessary for the user's current navigation segment rather than continuously activating all environmental components. This selective activation reduces computing resource consumption while maintaining sufficient measurement precision for guidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention proposes a method and a device for guiding an individual in an environment comprising at least one actuator capable of being controlled remotely, the method being implemented by a computer, and comprising: - the determination, from a starting point and a destination point of the individual in the environment, and of a digital model of the environment including the location of each actuator, of a path within the environment linking the starting point and the destination point, - from the determined path, the determination of a set of actuators located on the path, and - the emission of an activation command of at least one actuator of the set to guide the individual along the path.