Spatial guidance system for visually impaired individuals
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsJoan Byamugisha, Richard Allen Young, Toby Kurien, Naweed Aghmad Khan, Maletsabisa Molapo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Method, systems, and apparatus to facilitate navigation in a known environment. Communication and tracking between a receiver device and one or more beacons are provided to identify a current position of the receiver device. A direction to a next waypoint of a current path is determined based on the identified current position and a haptic feedback system is signaled to provide continuous haptic feedback to orient a user in the identified direction.
Claims17
A method to facilitate navigation in a known environment, the method comprising:
- providing communication and tracking between a receiver device and one or more beacons to identify a current position of the receiver device;
- determining a direction to a next waypoint of a current path based on the identified current position;
- signaling a haptic feedback system to provide continuous haptic feedback to orient a user in the identified direction;
- and
- controlling one or more motors to generate actuation in opposite directions to create a rotational pivot about a fixed axis of a cane to orient the user towards a direction of the next waypoint.
A system comprising:
- a haptic feedback system configured to provide haptic feedback to a user;
- and
- a smart device in communication with the haptic feedback system and configured to:
- provide communication and tracking between a receiver device and one or more beacons to identify a current position of the receiver device;
- determine a direction to a next waypoint of a current path based on the identified current position;
- and
- signal the haptic feedback system to provide continuous haptic feedback to orient the user in the identified direction, wherein the haptic feedback system comprises a pair of suspenders and one or more motors coupled to the suspenders, the one or more motors configured to tension each suspender at one or more of a back side and a front side.
A system comprising:
- a haptic feedback system configured to provide haptic feedback to a user;
- and
- a smart device in communication with the haptic feedback system and configured to:
- provide communication and tracking between a receiver device and one or more beacons to identify a current position of the receiver device;
- determine a direction to a next waypoint of a current path based on the identified current position;
- and
- signal the haptic feedback system to provide continuous haptic feedback to orient the user in the identified direction, wherein the haptic feedback system comprises a cane and one or more motors coupled to the cane, the one or more motors providing actuation in opposite directions to create a rotational pivot about a fixed axis of the cane to orient the user towards a direction of the next waypoint.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.