Patent Publication Number: US-2009228201-A1

Title: Navigation method and applications thereof

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 97108159, filed Mar. 7, 2008, which is herein incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a navigation method, a navigation apparatus and/or a navigation system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a navigation method, a navigation apparatus and/or a navigation system for an indoor environment. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     People, based on engineering developments, have enabled construction of huge buildings, such as skyscrapers. Huge buildings provide a new life experience for us. But they are built not just for economy of space. Like skyscrapers are also considered symbols of a city&#39;s economic power. Therefore, the word “skyscraper” originally was a term referring to a steel-framed ten-story building. But it has been changed now. For example, Taipei 101, a skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan, has 101 stories above ground. 
     However, huge buildings also make some new problems, such as how to evacuate from the huge buildings in the event of an emergency. Therefore, how to solve those problems has been an urgent matter for modern people. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention, a navigation method includes the following steps. A position of at least one hand-held device in an indoor environment is obtained. Positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment are obtained to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. A position of a destination is obtained. A way from the position of the hand-held device to the position of the destination is derived from the position of the hand-held device, the position of the destination, and the information of distribution. 
     According to another embodiment of the present invention, a navigation apparatus for guiding one with at least one hand-held device in an indoor environment includes a server. The server includes a receiving device, a processor, and a transmitting device. The receiving device may obtain a position of the hand-held device. The processor may obtain positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. The processor may derive from the information of distribution an evacuation way to leave the indoor environment for the event of an emergency. The transmitting device may transmit the evacuation way to the hand-held device. 
     According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, a navigation system includes at least one hand-held device and a server. The hand-held device is located in an indoor environment. The server includes a receiving device, a processor, and a transmitting device. The receiving device may obtain a position of the hand-held device. The processor may obtain positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. The transmitting device may transmit the information of distribution to the hand-held device. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is a flow chart of a navigation method according to one embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a navigation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of the processor of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of a navigation system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a functional block diagram of the processor of  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts. 
     The size of modern buildings is huger than before, and thus the interior arrangement of the modern buildings is also more complex than before. As the pace of modern life continues to accelerate, the time is quite limited. Therefore, people often ask a question like this: “What is the quickest way to a destination from here?” 
     However, a huge building like a skyscraper is also a crowded place. Therefore, the shortest route may not be the quickest way when the distribution of people and things in the building is not considered. Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides a navigation method that can determine a quickest way according to the distribution of people and things in the building. 
       FIG. 1  is a flow chart of a navigation method according to one embodiment of the present invention. The navigation method includes the following steps: 
     (1) obtaining a position of at least one hand-held device in an indoor environment (step  10 ); 
     (2) obtaining positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices (step  20 ); 
     (3) obtaining a position of a destination (step  30 ); and 
     (4) deriving a way from the position of the hand-held device to the position of the destination from the position of the hand-held device, the position of the destination, and the information of distribution (step  40 ). 
     The step  10  may be performed through a global positioning system (GPS). That is, at least one hand-held device in an indoor environment may employ a GPS receiver to calculate its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the GPS satellites high above the Earth. Then, the position of the hand-held device is uploaded to a server. 
     In the step  20 , the server may obtain positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. It&#39;s noted that the some may include people, and/or things which may be entities of various types including e.g. animals and devices. Specifically, the positions of the other hand-held devices can be representative of the distribution of people who carry at least one of the other hand-held devices. That is, the information of distribution may concern or be about a distribution of people in the indoor environment. As another example, the information of distribution may further concern or be about a state of usage of at least one moving device in the indoor environment. 
     In the step  30 , a user may directly input a position of a destination to the hand-held device. Alternatively, a plurality of locations in the indoor environment may be displayed on the hand-held device, and the user may select one of them as the destination. It is easily understood that the above-mentioned way to perform the step  30  is only one of the examples. Many other ways may be employed to find the position of the destination. People skilled in the art can select a proper one according to design and necessity. 
     In the step  40 , a way from the position of the hand-held device to the position of the destination may be derived from the position of the hand-held device, the position of the destination, and the information of distribution. This way can guide the user to take a detour to avoid crowded regions in the indoor environment. 
     Specifically, in step  40 , a shortest route from the position of the hand-held device to the position of the destination is determined first. Then, the shortest route is modified based on the information of distribution to obtain the way. Since the information of distribution may be about the distribution of people in the indoor environment, the user can get a quickest way around the crowded regions to the destination. 
     The way may be displayed on the hand-held device with at least one map representative of the indoor environment. In this way, the user may conveniently get the way by watching the display of the hand-held device even when walking to the destination. Specifically, the navigation method may further include the following steps: 
     (5) transmitting a map representative of the indoor environment to the hand-held device (step  50 ); 
     (6) displaying the map on the hand-held device (step  60 ); and 
     (7) marking the way on the map (step  70 ). 
     When the indoor environment has a plurality of floors, a plurality of the maps respectively representative of the floors of the indoor environment may be transmitted to the hand-held device. Specifically, a service center may be located in a specific place, for example the entrance of the indoor environment. This service center can provide a map download service that provides the map(s) to the hand-held device. Alternatively, the user may download the map(s) from Internet at home as well. 
     Although transmitting the maps together to the hand-held device is a convenient way to perform the step  50 , the hand-held device may display a wrong map in some case since the GPS receiver may not find which floor the hand-held device is located on. In order to display the right map, a plurality of transmitters may be respectively located on the floors of the indoor environment for transmitting floor-indicating data to the hand-held device, with the floor-indicating data indicative of a floor of the plurality of floors. This floor-indicating data may be able to tell the hand-held device which floor the hand-held device is located on. Then, one of the maps is selected according to the floor-indicating data and then displayed on the hand-held device. Moreover, in the step  70 , the way may be marked only on the selected map to avoid confusing the user. 
     In addition, the information of distribution may be employed to derive an evacuation way to leave the indoor environment for the event of an emergency, for example a fire. Another embodiment of the present invention provides a navigation apparatus that can derive an evacuation way from the information of distribution for the event of an emergency. 
       FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a navigation apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the navigation apparatus for guiding one with at least one hand-held device  110  in an indoor environment includes a server  120 . The server  120  includes a receiving device  122 , a processor  124 , and a transmitting device  126 . The receiving device  122  may obtain a position of the hand-held device  110 . The processor  124  may obtain positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. It&#39;s noted that the some may include people, and/or things which may be entities of various types including e.g. animals and devices. The processor  124  may derive from the information of distribution an evacuation way to leave the indoor environment for the event of an emergency. The transmitting device  126  may transmit the evacuation way to the hand-held device  110 . 
     The hand-held device  110  may employ a global positioning system (GPS) for finding the position of the hand-held device  110 . Specifically, the hand-held device  110  may employ a GPS receiver  112  to calculate its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the GPS satellites high above the Earth. It is easily understood that the GPS is only one of the examples. Many other ways, for example an indoor positioning system, may be employed to find the position of the hand-held device  110 . People skilled in the art can select a proper one according to design and necessity. 
       FIG. 3  is a functional block diagram of the processor  124  of  FIG. 2 . The processor  124  may includes a route determining device  123  and a modifying device  125 . The route determining device  123  may determine a shortest route from the position of the hand-held device to a position of an exit of the indoor environment. The modifying device  125  may modify the shortest route based on the information of distribution to obtain the evacuation way. 
     Reference is made to  FIG. 2 . The hand-held device  110  may further include a processor  114  and a display  116 . The processor  114  may download a map representative of the indoor environment to the hand-held device  110  from Internet or other proper places. The display  116 , such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), may display the map on the hand-held device  110 . Then, the downloading processor  114  may mark the evacuation way on the map. In this way, the evacuation way can be displayed on the hand-held device  110  with the map. Accordingly, people may conveniently get the evacuation way by watching the display  116  of the hand-held device  110  even when escaping from the indoor environment. 
     When the indoor environment has a plurality of floors, the processor  114  may download a plurality of maps respectively representative of the plurality of floors to the hand-held device  110 . The processor  114  may download the maps separately or together according to actual requirements. 
     When the processor  114  downloads the maps together, the display  116  may display a wrong map in some case since the GPS receiver  112  may not find which floor the hand-held device  110  is located on. In order to display the right map, a plurality of transmitters  130  may be respectively located on the plurality of floors of the indoor environment for transmitting floor-indicating data to the hand-held device  110 , with the floor-indicating data indicative of a floor of the plurality of floors. This floor-indicating data may tell the hand-held device  110  which floor the hand-held device  110  is located on. The hand-held device  110  may employ a receiver  118  to receive the floor-indicating data. Then, a selecting device  119  may select one of the maps according to the floor-indicating data, and the display module  116  may display the selected map on the hand-held device  110 . Moreover, the downloading processor  114  may mark the evacuation way only on the selected map to avoid confusing the user. 
     The data transmission between the hand-held device  110  and the server  120  may be through wireless network communication. Similarly, the means of wireless network communication is only one of the examples. Other communication means may be employed to perform the data transmission between the hand-held device  110  and the server  120 . People skilled in the art can select a proper one according to design and necessity. 
     In addition, the information of distribution may also be transmitted to the hand-held device for allowing the user of the hand-held device to use the information of distribution. Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides a navigation system that can provide the information of distribution to the hand-held device directly. 
       FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram of a navigation system according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the navigation system includes at least one hand-held device  110  and a server  120 . The hand-held device  110  is located in an indoor environment. The server  120  includes a receiving device  122 , a processor  124 , and a transmitting device  126 . The receiving device  122  may obtain a position of the hand-held device  110 . The processor  124  may obtain positions of other hand-held devices in the indoor environment to get information of distribution of some in the indoor environment, with at least one of the some carrying at least one of the other hand-held devices. It&#39;s noted again that the some may include people, and/or things which may be entities of various types including e.g. animals and devices. The transmitting device  126  may transmit the information of distribution to the hand-held device  110 . 
     The hand-held device  110  may employ a global positioning system (GPS) for finding the position of the hand-held device  110 . Specifically, the hand-held device  110  may employ a GPS receiver  112  to calculate its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the GPS satellites high above the Earth. It is easily understood that the GPS is only one of the examples. Many other ways, for example an indoor positioning system, may be employed to find the position of the hand-held device  110 . People skilled in the art can select a proper one according to design and necessity. 
     The main difference between the present embodiment (shown in  FIG. 4 ) and the preceding embodiment (shown in  FIGS. 2-3 ) is that the preceding embodiment keeps the information of distribution in the server  120  to determine the evacuation way, but the present embodiment transmits the information of distribution to the hand-held device  110  for allowing the user of the hand-held device  110  to use the information of distribution. 
     For example, the information of distribution can direct the user of the hand-held device  110  to take a detour to avoid crowded regions in the indoor environment. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the hand-held device  110  may further include a processor  114 . The processor  114  may derive a way from the position of the hand-held device  110  to a position of a destination from the position of the hand-held device  110 , the position of the destination, and the information of distribution. 
       FIG. 5  is a functional block diagram of the processor  114  of  FIG. 4 . The processor  114  may include a route determining device  113  and a modifying device  115 . The route determining device  113  may determine a shortest route from the position of the hand-held device  110  to the position of the destination. The modifying device  115  may modify the shortest route based on the information of distribution to obtain the way. 
     Reference is made to  FIG. 4 . The processor  114  of the hand-held device  110  may download a map representative of the indoor environment to the hand-held device  110 . In the present embodiment, the hand-held device  110  may further include a display  116  for displaying the map on the hand-held device  110 . Then, the processor  114  of the hand-held device  110  may mark the way on the map. 
     When the indoor environment has a plurality of floors, the processor  114  may download a plurality of maps respectively representative of the plurality of floors to the hand-held device  110 . The processor  114  may download the maps separately or together according to actual requirements. 
     When the processor  114  downloads the maps together, the display  116  may display a wrong map in some case since the GPS receiver  112  may not find which floor the hand-held device  110  is located on. In order to display the right map, a plurality of transmitters  130  may be respectively located on the plurality of floors of the indoor environment for transmitting floor-indicating data to the hand-held device  110 , with the floor-indicating data indicative of a floor of the plurality of floors. This floor-indicating data may be able to tell the hand-held device  110  which floor the hand-held device  110  is located on. The hand-held device  110  may employ a receiver  118  to receive the floor-indicating data. Then, a selecting device  119  may select one of the maps according to the floor-indicating data, and the display module  116  may display the selected map on the hand-held device. Moreover, the downloading processor  114  may mark the way only on the selected map to avoid confusing the user. 
     As to other elements of the navigation system, they are not described in detail since their structures and functions are the same as that of the preceding embodiment (shown in  FIGS. 2-3 ). 
     In the preceding embodiments of the present invention, the term “hand-held device” may mean a personal digital assistant (PDA), an electronic dictionary, a digital camera, a cell phone or other electronic apparatus. People skilled in the art can select a proper one according to design and necessity. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.