Pedestrian Navigation via Guide Entity Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Visually impaired pedestrians face challenges in navigating crowded environments independently and safely, as existing technologies are computationally demanding and inefficient in recognizing obstacles and guiding users.
Innovation Solution
A portable pedestrian navigation system that combines wearable proximity sensors with external devices and GPS data to identify and follow a candidate guide entity, using tactile outputs to guide the user around obstacles, and optionally utilizes wireless communication to select and update guides for improved reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If geographical information and sensors are used to analyze environment for obstacles, then navigation support is provided, but computational resources are excessively consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide entity as an intermediary that the visually impaired pedestrian follows. Instead of computationally analyzing the entire environment for obstacles, the system identifies a guide entity (another pedestrian with a mobile device) and uses their movement as a reference. This mediator approach significantly reduces computational requirements while maintaining navigation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system copies the movement behavior of the guide entity to navigate the pedestrian. Rather than independently detecting and analyzing all obstacles, the system replicates the guide entity's path and movements, which inherently avoids obstacles without requiring complex environmental analysis. This copying mechanism reduces computational energy consumption while ensuring safe navigation.
2Measurement precision
If comprehensive environmental analysis is performed to identify obstacles, then navigation accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide entity serves as an intermediary that simplifies the navigation problem. Instead of directly analyzing the complex environment for obstacles, the system uses the guide entity's proven safe path as a reference. This intermediary approach maintains navigation accuracy while significantly reducing system complexity by avoiding comprehensive environmental analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide entity performs preliminary navigation actions by already having successfully navigated the environment. The system leverages this pre-performed navigation work by copying the guide entity's path, eliminating the need for the pedestrian's device to independently perform complex obstacle detection and path planning operations.
3Reliability
If real-time obstacle detection and communication is implemented, then navigation reliability is improved, but response time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system copies the guide entity's movement in real-time, which provides immediate navigation guidance without requiring the pedestrian's device to perform time-consuming environmental analysis. This copying mechanism maintains navigation reliability by following a proven safe path while minimizing response time delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide entity has already performed the navigation decisions and obstacle avoidance actions in advance. The pedestrian's device simply needs to track and follow the guide entity's already-determined path, eliminating the time required for real-time environmental analysis and decision-making while maintaining navigation reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A portable pedestrian navigation system including a computing device, a proximity sensor and an output device. The proximity sensor and the output device are communicatively coupled to the computing device and the computing device is adapted for receiving environmental data at least from the proximity sensor. Based on the environmental data, A candidate guide entity near the pedestrian is identified. Based on the environmental data, the output device is used for guiding the pedestrian in accordance with a movement of the identified candidate guide entity as a selected guide entity.