US 6,320,496 B1 · Systems and methods providing tactile guidance using sensory supplementation

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.

Claims69

Dependent claims

A system that provides navigational assistance to a user comprising:

a location identifier that provides a current location information within a building, area or geographic locale;
a direction determiner circuit that determines a direction information based on a current heading, the current location information and a desired destination;
and
a tactile direction device that provides a non-focal direction cue to a user based on the determined direction information.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems and methods providing tactile guidance using sensory supplementation

Life of this patent

Systems and methods providing tactile guidance using sensory supplementation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims69