WO2007072389A1

WO2007072389A1 - A guiding device for guiding inside buildings, such as hospitals

Info

Publication number: WO2007072389A1
Application number: PCT/IB2006/054909
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peter T. S. K. Tsang
Original assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
Priority date: 2005-12-19
Filing date: 2006-12-18
Publication date: 2007-06-28

Abstract

The present invention relates to a guiding device for guiding a person to a destination inside a building, such as a hospital, where said building in predefined positions comprises a number of position identifiers, said position identifiers being adapted for transmitting position identification to said guiding device, wherein said guiding device comprises: a navigation unit for determining guiding instructions, wherein said navigation unit comprises: a receiver adapted for receiving said position identification transmitted from said position identifiers, - a storage adapted for storing navigation data describing a map of said building, a storage adapted for storing said destination, a processor adapted for determining guiding instructions based on said received position identification, said stored map and said stored destination an indication unit adapted for receiving said guiding instructions from said navigation unit and guiding said person to said destination based on said guiding instructions.

Description

A guiding device for guiding inside buildings, such as hospitals

The present invention relates to a guiding device for guiding a person to a destination inside a building, such as a hospital

Currently, patients arrive at hospitals and have to make their own way to the right location and find the right people. There are no guides to help them along apart from signboards, and this can be rather confusing if the hospital is very big and busy. As most of them are already apprehensive and distressed it would be of great benefit if a device could help them out by bringing them to the right places at the right time and also explain and entertain them along the way.

In US2003/0074224 Al a pet like health care support system has been described. The system consists of a pet terminal that feeds the patient's vital data to a server. The data is acquired through a vital data acquisition device or is the result of doctors' questions obtained by speech synthesis and speech recognition. The doctors can then access the data from a remote location and thereby get information about the patient's health. The pet terminal is a take home application that automatically measures the patient's health by asking questions and by measuring e.g. the patient's blood pressure or blood sugar. Therefore this application reduces the number of times the patient has to visit the hospital because some examinations can be performed in the patient's home, and the doctors can hereafter examine the results from his or her computer. On the other hand this pet terminal does not act as a friendly hospital companion during hospitalization, and it does not help guiding the patient around the hospital and finally it does not entertain the patient during hospitalization.

The guiding of persons is known from GPS systems but such systems are not able to navigate inside a building, and further strict requirements to the use of RF frequencies inside hospitals are quite common, since such frequencies might interfere with the hospital equipment. The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems.

This is solved by a guiding device for guiding a person to a destination inside a building, such as a hospital, where said building in predefined positions comprises a number of position identifiers, said position identifiers being adapted for transmitting position identification to said guiding device, wherein said guiding device comprises: a navigation unit for determining guiding instructions, wherein said navigation unit comprises a receiver adapted for receiving said position identification transmitted from said position identifiers, - a storage adapted for storing navigation data describing a map of said building, a storage adapted for storing said destination, a processor adapted for determining guiding instructions based on said received position identification, said stored map and said stored destination an indication unit adapted for receiving said guiding instructions from said navigation unit and guiding said person to said destination based on said guiding instructions.

Thereby the guiding device is able to navigate inside the building based on the position identifiers, and the position identifiers could e.g. be based on RFID. The building could e.g. be a hospital, museum and other large sites where it can be difficult to navigate. The indication unit could e.g. be a display where the guiding device is held by the person and the display displays arrows guiding the person. The guiding device could also be made as a robot, where the indication unit is actuators making the robot move, whereby the guiding device guides the person either by letting the person follow the robot or by pointing the directions to the person.

In an embodiment said position identifiers are optical emitters transmitting optical signals, wherein said position identification is transmitted as a building unique coded frequency, and wherein said receiver is a sensor adapted for receiving said transmitted optical signals. Thereby RF frequencies are avoided and the system is very well suited to be used in buildings having strict requirements in relation to RF frequency transmission, such as a hospital. The optical emitters could be LED emitting UV, visible or IR light and the optical receiver could be photodiodes optimized for the optical signal emitted from the position identifiers. The position identifiers could also be built in the environmental lightning, e.g. spotlights and overhead lightning, and by modulating the light sources with a unique frequency they can function as position identifiers.

In an embodiment said indication unit comprises a speaker, and said indication unit is adapted for guiding said person to said destination by producing sound from said speaker. Thereby the guiding device could guide the person by talking to the person.

In an embodiment said navigation unit further comprises a storage adapted for storing a time indicating when said person should arrive at said destination, said time being used to determine when said indication unit should guide said person to said destination. Thereby the guiding device ensures that not only is the person guided to the right position but the person is also guided at the right time. The timing is very important in the case of hospitals, where doctors typically have a tight schedule.

In an embodiment said navigation unit comprises reading means for obtaining information identifying at least one destination of relevance to said person. Thereby the guiding device is able to guide different persons to specific destinations. When arriving at the building the guiding device reads information relating to the person and based on this the guiding is performed.

In an embodiment said reading means is a RFID tag reader. The persons could be equipped with a person specific RFID tag in the reception of the building, and by letting the guiding device read this tag the guiding device guides the person. In case of a hospital, the RFID tag could identify information such as a treatment schedule based on which the guiding device is able to determine when the person should be present at specific destinations. In an embodiment said guiding device further comprises an entertainment unit, said entertainment unit comprising: means for entertaining said person, wherein said means are adapted to be activated based on input from an environment detector.

Especially in relating to hospitals it is normally not very pleasant for the person/patient, and therefore by entertaining said person focus is moved to the entertainment activity improving the pleasance of the visit. This is especially interesting in relation to children. The environment detector could e.g. be detecting sound, humidity, temperature or smells which is unpleasant for the person and based on this remove focus by entertaining.

In an embodiment said environment detector comprises a microphone for detecting sound. A microphone is a cheap and easy way of detecting sounds.

In an embodiment the means for entertaining comprises a speaker adapted for producing sound. Thereby the device could e.g. sing or talk to entertain the person.

In an embodiment said device comprises a data logger for logging data relating to said person. Thereby the guiding device functions not only as a guide but also as a personal logbook, which e.g. doctors could use as a patient journal whereby they could avoid carrying the paper version. The doctor could receive the journal through a wireless communication between the doctor's laptop and the guiding device. In the following preferred embodiments of the invention will be described referring to the figures, where

Fig. 1 is a tree diagram illustrating the components comprised in a guiding device,

Fig. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating how components of the guiding device cooperate,

Fig. 3 is a tree diagram illustrating components of the guiding device carried out as a friendly hospital companion, Fig. 4 illustrates a map of a hospital with strategically placed position identifiers.

Figure 1 illustrates a tree diagram of a guiding device 101 for guiding persons to a destination inside a building and shows its components. The guiding device consists of two components: a navigation unit 102 and an indication unit 103. The navigation unit takes care of the navigation and comprises four components: a receiver 104, a navigation storage 105, a destination storage 106 and a processor 107. The receiver 104 receives a signal from a position identifier 108, and the signal contains information about the position and the location. The signal is transmitted based on a wireless transmission e.g. RFID (Radio

Frequency IDentification), ultrasonic, through an IR transmission (InfraRed light) or another optical transmission, and the receiver should therefore be adapted to receive the signals transmitted from the position identifiers e.g. a photodiode when IR is used or a microphone when ultrasound is used. The position identifiers are placed strategically around the building and have a unique identification that is transmitted to the receiver in the navigation unit. This identification could e.g. be a coded frequency transmitted through IR. The navigation unit further consists of a navigation storage 105 that contains data describing a map of the building, which especially contains information of the positions of the position identifiers 108. The destination storage 106 contains data describing the destination(s) to which the guiding device should guide the user/person. Finally the navigation unit has a processor 107 that determines the guiding instructions based on the signal received from the position identifiers, the map stored in the navigation storage and the destination stored in the destination storage. The indication unit 103 gives the user instruction based on the result from the navigation unit such that the user is guided to the correct destination. The indication could be a display showing a map of the building with an arrow pointing towards the correct destination; it could be an audio signal by speech informing the user of the directions, it could be actuators that show the direction by pointing or by automatically moving the guiding device towards the destination so that the user needs to follow the device, it could be vibrations which especially applies to disabled people like blind and deaf people or it could be combinations of the previously mentioned methods.

Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram of how the components in the guiding device cooperate in order to give instructions to the user and thereby guide the user to the correct destination. A position identifier transmits 108 a signal to the receiver 104, and the signal contains information about the position identifier and the location around the identifier. The receiver 104 sends the information to a processor 107 inside the guiding device. The guiding device compares the signal to the map of the building and the position of each position identifier stored in the navigation storage 105. The processor can therefore determine where in the building the guiding device is currently located from the signal received from the reviver. The map in the navigation storage is preinstalled 201 and adapted to the building in which the guiding device is used. However, the information can be changed or updated e.g. by sending new map data by a position identifier, by a cable connected to the guiding device, though a data network (e.g. LAN/wirelessLAN) or by reprogramming the navigation storage 201. Furthermore, the processor receives information about the destination to which the user needs to be guided. This information is stored in the destination storage 106 in a similar way as the map is installed in the navigation storage, but the destination could also be put in by the user 202 e.g. through a keyboard or via an acoustic signal. The processor determines the guiding instructions based on received positions, stored maps and stored destinations and sends these instructions to the indication unit 103. The indication unit gives instructions to the user 203, and the user should be led towards the correct destination. The instructions could be given as described in figure 1. The process starts over when the information is given and continues until the user is at the correct destination. This ensures that the guiding device is always correctly updated on the correct position and gives the correct information. Figure 3 illustrates a tree diagram of components of the guiding device carried out as a friendly hospital companion, which is given to e.g. a child during hospitalization. In this embodiment the guiding device is built-in inside a cuddly toy pet and comprises the same components as described in figure 1. In this embodiment the communication between the position identifiers 108 and the receiver 104 is carried out as an IR communication, because IR does not interfere with the hospital equipment. The IR signal has a unique coded frequency and can therefore be identified by the guiding device. The position identifiers could also be built in overhead lightning, spot lights or other environmental light sources, and by modulating the different light sources with a unique high frequency it is possible to use ordinary lightning as positions identifiers. The high modulation frequency would not be noticed by people at the hospital, because the human brain cannot comprehend high frequencies. Furthermore, additional components have been added to the device, such as a data storage 301 where the user's/patient's personal data is stored. This could be health information, information about treatment, appointments, meals etc. In this embodiment especially appointment data is stored in an appointment storage 304 in the navigation unit. The appointments can be linked to destinations, so that the guiding device automatically keeps track of the patient's appointments and guides the patient to the correct destination at the right time. This could e.g. be an examination by a doctor in a certain examination room, and the guiding device therefore guides the patient to the examination room at the correct time. Further, this embodiment has an entertainment unit 303 for entertaining the patient during the hospitalization. This helps to reassure the children and plays a supporting role as a hospital buddy to them and can be used a stress reduction. The entertainment unit would have entertainment means that are adapted to be activated based on an environment detector. This could e.g. be a microphone that records the sound level of the surroundings, which in a hospital could be very stressful for the patient, and therefore the entertainment unit could e.g. tell a story in order to calm the patient. The entertainment unit could also have form as a video game, TV, movie or music player etc. Furthermore, the entertainment unit could have actuators that make the hospital companion move its limbs in order to make it appear alive, like for instance a puppy or a cat. The guiding device could also be carried out in an embodiment for teenagers, grownups or elderly people.

Figure 4 illustrates a map of a hospital. The hospital entrance 401 leads into a hall/lobby 402. The hospital has 6 wards for patients 403a, 403b, 403c, 403d, 403e, 403f, 3 examination rooms 404a, 404b, 404c and a dining room 405. Around the hospital several position identifiers 406 are placed that each have a unique identification and broadcast a signal with its unique identification. The signal is sent through a wireless transmission e.g. RFID (Radio Frequency IDentifϊcation), ultrasonic or through an optical transmission (IR light or through the environmental lightning at the hospital). The guiding device receives this signal and determines where the patient is located. The position identifiers are placed so that they each cover a limited area, and the position of the patient can therefore be pointed out precisely. The more identifiers that cover a small area the more precise the patients' positions can be detected. Furthermore, if every place in the hospital is covered by at least three identifiers, then the guiding device can locate the patient very precisely using a triangulation process based on the intensity of the signals received from the identifiers. The map and the location of the identifiers are stored in the guiding devices' navigation storage.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A guiding device for guiding a person to a destination inside a building, wherein the building in predefined positions comprises a number of position identifiers, the position identifiers being adapted for transmitting position identification to the guiding device, wherein the guiding device comprises: - a navigation unit for determining guiding instructions, wherein the navigation unit comprises a receiver adapted for receiving the position identification transmitted from the position identifiers, a storage adapted for storing navigation data describing a map of the building, - a storage adapted for storing the destination, a processor adapted for determining guiding instructions based on the received position identification, the stored map and the stored destination an indication unit adapted for receiving the guiding instructions from the navigation unit and guiding the person to the destination based on the guiding instructions.

2. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the position identifiers are optical emitters transmitting optical signals, wherein the position identification is transmitted as a building unique coded frequency and wherein the receiver is a sensor adapted for receiving the transmitted optical signals.

3. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the indication unit comprises a speaker and the indication unit is adapted for guiding the person to the destination by producing sound from the speaker.

4. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation unit further comprises a storage adapted for storing a time indicating when the person should arrive at the destination, the time being used to determine when the indication unit should guide the person to the destination.

5. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the navigation unit comprises reading means for obtaining information identifying at least one destination of relevance to the person.

6. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the reading means is an RFID tag reader.

7. A guiding device according to claim 1, wherein the guiding device further comprises an entertainment unit, the entertainment unit comprising: - means for entertaining the person, wherein the means are adapted to be activated based on input from an environment detector.

8. A guiding device according to claim 7, wherein the environment detector comprises a microphone for detecting sound.

9. A guiding device according to claim 7, wherein the means for entertaining comprises a speaker adapted for producing sound.

10. A guiding device according to claim 7, wherein the device comprises a data logger for logging data relating to the person.