CN113155117A

CN113155117A - Navigation system, method and device

Info

Publication number: CN113155117A
Application number: CN202010077083.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵长伟
Original assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
Current assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-23
Filing date: 2020-01-23
Publication date: 2021-07-23

Abstract

A navigation system, method and apparatus are disclosed. The system comprises: a navigation device for providing mobile navigation; a visual guidance device disposed on the navigation device for providing visual guidance; and a control device for controlling the mobile navigation of the navigation device and the guidance content of the visual guidance device. The invention can provide visual guidance for users in a physical space by combining navigation equipment such as a small aircraft and a visual guidance device arranged on the navigation equipment.

Description

Navigation system, method and device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of navigation, and in particular, to a navigation system, method, and apparatus.

Background

In a scene with a complex environment, such as a mall, a hospital, and a convention and exhibition place, it is often necessary for people to spend a certain amount of effort to reach a desired place. Fig. 1 shows an example of existing navigation. For example, a user may need to purchase a brand of pants, which may require querying a terminal, for example, that has the mall App installed or a navigation App with a detailed profile of the mall store, for the brand's store location and pants vending area within the brand. At this time, the App in the terminal generates a route based on the current position of the user and the position of the pants vending area (as indicated by a marked point in the store 1750 in the figure), and the user needs to reach the targeted pants vending area according to the direction of the solid arrow and with continuous reference to the terminal screen route display.

The above method requires the user to make an inquiry on the terminal, hold the terminal with his hand and watch the terminal screen from time to time for reference, is not convenient and direct for the user's navigation, and is prone to errors in the case of having a complex path.

In view of the above, a more convenient and intuitive navigation scheme is needed.

Disclosure of Invention

One technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide an improved navigation solution, which, in combination with a navigation apparatus and a visual guidance device provided thereon, can provide intuitive visual guidance for a user in a physical space. The navigation device can be a mobile navigation device such as an aircraft, the flight path and the state of the mobile navigation device can be adjusted based on the current action state of the user, and the visual guidance device arranged on the mobile navigation device can give appropriate guidance in real time, so that convenient and intuitive navigation, particularly indoor navigation, is provided for the user.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a navigation system comprising: a navigation device for providing mobile navigation; a visual guidance device disposed on the navigation device for providing visual guidance; and a control device for controlling the mobile navigation of the navigation device and the guidance content of the visual guidance device.

Optionally, the navigation device is a device that provides navigation by moving itself, for example, a small aircraft. The control device is configured to: generating a guide instruction; sending the guidance instructions to the small aircraft, the small aircraft being configured to: flying based on the guiding instruction to enable the visual guiding device to visually guide the guided object.

Optionally, the visual guidance device is to: providing corresponding visual guidance content based on the guidance instruction, the current flight state of the small aircraft and/or the current position information of the guided object.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a navigation method comprising: generating a guide instruction; the navigation device performs mobile navigation based on the guiding instruction, so that the visual guiding device arranged on the navigation device performs visual guiding on the guided object.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a navigation method comprising: the navigation terminal receives a guide instruction input by a guided object and generates a calling command; the idle small aircraft flies to a preset guiding starting position and positions the guided object based on the invoking command; determining a small aircraft flight path and a current state based on the guidance instructions and a current location of the guided object; a visual guidance device provided on the small aircraft visually guides the guided object based on the current positions of the small aircraft and the guided object.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a navigation device comprising: the input unit is used for receiving a guide instruction input by a guided object; a processing unit for generating a call command based on the guiding instruction; and the mobile navigation equipment and the visual guide equipment arranged on the mobile navigation equipment visually guide the guided object according to the guide instruction, the mobile navigation equipment and the current position of the guided object.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computing device comprising: a processor; and a memory having executable code stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform the method as described in the second aspect above.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable code which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, causes the processor to perform the method of the second aspect as described above.

Therefore, the navigation scheme of the invention can provide visual and convenient visual guidance for the guided object by combining the navigation equipment with the visual guidance. The scheme can be combined with the functions of the intelligent control center of a building or other places, and timely and effective guidance is provided for users.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in greater detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which like reference numerals generally represent like parts throughout.

Fig. 1 shows an example of existing navigation.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic composition diagram of a navigation system according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 shows an example of navigation based on the invention.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a navigation system according to the invention.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of a navigation method according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a computing device that can be used to implement the navigation method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The invention discloses an improved navigation scheme, which can provide visual guidance for a user in a physical space by combining navigation equipment and a visual guidance device arranged on the navigation equipment. The navigation device can be a mobile navigation device such as a small aircraft, the flight track and the state of the mobile navigation device can be adjusted based on the current action state of the user, and the visual guide device arranged on the mobile navigation device can give appropriate guidance in real time, so that convenient and intuitive navigation, particularly indoor navigation, is provided for the user.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic composition diagram of a navigation system according to one embodiment of the invention. As shown, the system may include a navigation device (e.g., the small aircraft shown) 210, a visual guidance device 220, and a control device 230.

The figure shows an example of the navigation system of the invention, by way of a small aircraft. It should be understood that the navigation system of the present invention may also use other devices as the navigation device. In the present invention, the navigation apparatus is an apparatus for providing mobile navigation. The above-mentioned mobile navigation may be navigation in which the visual guidance of the visual guidance device is moved by the movement of the device itself, or may be navigation in which the device itself is not moved but only the visual guidance of the visual guidance device is moved. In various embodiments, the navigation device may be a mobile navigation device, i.e., a device that visually navigates a user through its own physical movement, such as a small aircraft in this example, or other ground or wall-based mobile devices. The ground or wall surface moving device can be also provided with a visual guide device and can receive the control of the control device to carry out route planning and guidance based on self determination or control of the control device.

In other embodiments, the navigation device may also be a device that does not itself move, but is capable of issuing a visual guide of movement. In one embodiment, the navigation device may be a device through which projected movement provides navigation. For example, a projection device mounted on a wall can adjust the projection projected on the wall or the ground under the control of a control apparatus to provide a mobile visual guide. The device may also be combined with a camera, for example also arranged on a wall, giving a visual guidance of the corresponding projected location and projected content based on the confirmation of the current location of the user.

The small aircraft 210 may be a quad-rotor drone as shown, capable of flying or hovering. The visual guidance device 220 is disposed on a small aircraft to provide visual guidance. Control device 230 may then be used to control the flight of small aircraft 210 and the guidance content of visual guidance device 220. In various embodiments, the small aerial vehicle 210 and the visual guidance device 220 may be controlled by one or more control devices 230, either in a related or separate manner. Therefore, the navigation system can provide intuitive and convenient guidance for the guided object (such as the participants in the exhibition center) through the intuitive guidance of the unmanned aerial vehicle and the visual guidance equipment arranged on the unmanned aerial vehicle in the physical space.

In particular, control device 230 may be configured to generate guidance instructions and transmit the guidance instructions to the small aircraft. Accordingly, the small aircraft can fly based on the guidance instruction to cause the visual guidance device to visually guide the guided object.

In one embodiment, the control device 230 may include a remote control device that is self-contained by the small aircraft (e.g., a drone), and the staff or the guided object may input a destination into the remote control device, so that the small aircraft generates a flight route according to the destination and guides the guided object. In other embodiments, the control device 230 may include a control center and/or a control terminal connected to the control center. Similarly, the crew or the guided object may enter the destination into a control center or terminal to cause the small aircraft to make the corresponding guidance.

More specifically, the control device 230 may receive a query of a guided object and then generate a guidance instruction containing guidance destination location information based on the query result. In general, the guided object knows the name of the destination to which it wants to go, but does not know the specific location of the destination. At this time, the staff member or the guided object may input a destination name to the control center or the terminal (e.g., via voice interaction with the smart voice device), and the control center or the terminal inquires a specific location corresponding to the destination name in the background and sends a guidance instruction including the specific location to the small aircraft. For example, a control terminal that a user can equip in a shopping mall inputs a certain brand of men's clothing, and the background can inquire the position of the brand of men's clothing and enable a drone equipped in the shopping mall and a visual guidance device arranged thereon to guide the user to the position of the brand of men's clothing.

When the user's input query is directed to multiple results, the multiple results may be presented to the user and directed based on the user's selection. In other cases, the nearest or most free destination may also be automatically selected for the user. For example, when a user needs to search for a washroom in a large exhibition center, the control center may search for the washroom that is relatively close and most idle for the user in combination with the current location of the user, and guide the user by using the unmanned aerial vehicle and the visual guidance device provided thereon.

In different scenarios, the visual guidance device 220 may be provided on the small aircraft 210 in different modalities and degrees of integration. In one embodiment, the visual guidance device 220 may be a relatively independent device, for example, that may be mounted or removably stowed on the small aircraft 210. At this time, the visual guidance device 220 may have a relatively independent display and control means, which may be in wired or wireless communication with the small aircraft 210 or the control device 230 to receive the visual guidance content command. In other embodiments, the visual guidance device 220 may be part of the small aircraft 210, for example, implemented as an onboard projector of the small aircraft 210. At this point, the visual guidance device 220 may share display and control equipment within the fuselage with the small aircraft 210.

In certain embodiments, visual guidance device 220 is a device that guides with optical content. In one simplest implementation, the visual guidance device 220 may be a device that displays the positional relationship of the guided object to the guidance destination using, for example, different colors of light or a flashing frequency. For example, the guided object shows green light when walking on the correct path, flashes red light on the wrong path, shows blue light when approaching or reaching the destination, etc. In other embodiments, the visual guidance device 220 may be a device that utilizes a display screen for visual guidance, such as a flexible plastic embedded with LED particles or a rollable OLED screen. The visual guidance device 220 may also be a device that utilizes projection for visual guidance, such as a projector. In other embodiments, the visual guidance device 220 may also use mechanical means, such as the location pointed by the physical arrow, for visual prompting, which is not limited by the invention.

Although the visual guidance device may perform visual guidance by simply displaying an arrow, in a preferred embodiment, the visual guidance device 220 may provide corresponding visual guidance content based on the guidance instructions and the current flight status of the small aircraft. Still further, the visual guidance device 220 may also adjust its visual guidance content based on the current location information of the guided object (at which time a positioning mechanism for the guided object is needed, as will be described in more detail below).

For example, when the booth queried by the user is in the D-zone, the visual guidance device 220 may always display "D-zone" and the current direction relative to the D-zone points to the arrow at the beginning of the guidance, or during the guidance. During the flight of the small aircraft 210, a corresponding indication may be generated based on the relative relationship between the small aircraft 210 and the destination location. Further, visual guidance device 220 may also adjust the corresponding content display based on the user's position relative to small aircraft 210. For example, the drone 210 may carry a projection device 220. The projection device projects an image onto the ground to guide the navigated person using the image on the ground. When, for example, a right turn is required, a right turn icon is displayed on the ground.

In order to accurately guide the guided object, the small aircraft 210 also typically needs to know the current position of the guided object (e.g., the user) during the guidance process. To this end, the small aircraft 210 may comprise a positioning device for positioning the guided object and adjust the current flight state based on the current position information of the guided object.

In different embodiments of the present invention, small aircraft 210 may obtain location information for a guided object based on various mechanisms. In one embodiment, the positioning device may be a target tracking device that actively tracks the guided object, e.g., a camera equipped on a drone. The camera can have a depth camera function, and the current position of the guided object is obtained through active shooting, so that the unmanned aerial vehicle always flies within a certain distance of the guided object, and the navigation image can be easily seen. In one embodiment, the positioning device may be a positioning information receiving device that passively acquires the current position of the guided object. For example, a smartphone carried by the guided object may be paired with the drone, such that the positioning device may determine the current location of the guided object based on signals emitted by the smartphone. For example, a camera (e.g., a conference monitoring device) connected to the control center may acquire the current position of the guided object and transmit the position information to the positioning device in real time. Thus, the small aircraft 210 can adjust the current flight state based on the current position information of the guided object so that its visual guidance content is always located at a position where it is easy to see in the user's traveling direction.

In a specific implementation, the navigation system is a navigation system equipped for a specific place. For example, a navigation system provided at an outdoor music festival or an exhibition, or a navigation system provided at an indoor mall or an exhibition center, or a navigation system provided at a shopping mall, for example, including an indoor space and an outdoor space. Thus, the control device 230 can acquire the specific locations of the facilities in the site in advance to facilitate user inquiry. The small aircraft 210 may then be used to: planning a flight route according to the spatial distribution of the places; and correcting the flight path based on the current condition of the place.

Additionally, the system may also include devices that provide power to the small aerial vehicle 210 and/or visual guidance devices, such as a dedicated charging dock located at a particular location (e.g., on an indoor ceiling). For example, the small aircraft 210 may be pre-configured with charging dock location information so that it may return to the charging dock for charging when it is idle. The visual guidance devices 220 disposed thereon may be charged individually (e.g., separate charging interfaces) or together based on their independence.

As previously mentioned, the navigation system of the present invention may be of different sizes in different implementations. In an extreme embodiment, the control device may comprise a control unit built into the small aircraft and/or the visual guidance device, or a remote control. Thus, a navigation system of the invention may be, for example, a drone itself provided with a projection device. Fig. 3 shows an example of navigation based on the invention. As shown on the left side of the figure, an entrance (e.g., a convention and exhibition entrance) at a certain location is arranged with the navigation system of the present invention, which is shown as a drone on which an LED touch display screen is hung. The display screen may prompt the user that he can navigate it by displaying the current display "where to go". The user can perform destination input by, for example, selecting a booth No. 152 on the touch panel. Then, the drone can guide the guided object based on the address. For example, as shown on the right side of fig. 3, the guided object turns right as indicated by the arrow on the bifurcated intersection.

In a more general embodiment, the navigation system of the present invention may be of a larger scale, in which case the system may include a plurality of small aircraft. The control device may be a separate control device in wireless communication with the small aircraft and/or the visual guidance device, e.g. a control center in a large indoor location, or even implemented as a cloud control. At this time, the control apparatus may be configured to: planning a route for each small aircraft to hover and/or fly based on the guidance space information for the small aircraft to guide and other small aircraft related messages.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a navigation system according to the invention. As shown on the left side of the figure, the navigation system may be a navigation system equipped for a certain building (e.g., an exhibition hall). The building can be visited by a large number of people. In order to guide a plurality of guided objects at the same time, the navigation system is equipped with a plurality of drones 410 as shown on the right side of the figure, each drone 410 having a projector mounted thereon for visual guidance (i.e., serving as a visual guidance device in fig. 2). To manage the plurality of drones 410, the control device 420 is implemented as a control center 421 and a plurality of control terminals 422. The control terminal 422 can be used to receive the input from the user and obtain the corresponding destination location center based on the control center 421 or local query. The control center 421 may be part of a building data center, and may be implemented in the cloud in some embodiments. The data center stores the location information of each facility in the building, and the control center 421 performs an inquiry according to the input and generates a corresponding guidance instruction.

After the crowd enters the building (e.g., indoors), it may interact with the control terminal 422 of the navigation system, e.g., voice interaction, as shown on the right side of the figure. In one embodiment, the control terminal 422 may be implemented as a smart speaker, or other form with smart voice dialog functionality, such as a smart robot. The user can input a voice "i want to see the exhibit of XX" to a control terminal 422, the control terminal 422 can parse the semantics input by the user locally or via a control center 421, and the control center 421 can query a data center to determine a guidance route based on the semantics, and call the currently idle drone 410 to the user (followed by "guided object" for visual guidance).

The drone 410 may receive a guidance starting position (where the guided object is currently located) and a destination position input by the control center 421, and generate a guidance route by itself, or receive a route generated by the control center 421. Subsequently, the drone 410 may come to a boot start location to provide a boot service for the booted object. The drone 410 may have a camera that may operate to lock the guided object, such as face recognition, and always determine the current flight speed and altitude based on the current position (or relative distance) of the guided object that the camera acquires (or other relative position determination mechanism, e.g., acquired by the control center 421 based on a building monitoring system), as shown in the lower part of the figure. Accordingly, the projector provided thereon may also change the guidance content, for example, an arrow pattern projected to the ground, according to the current position of the drone and the guided object, to give the guided object the most intuitive guidance. In the flight process, the unmanned aerial vehicle 410 can cope with the emergency situation by itself, for example, avoiding an object appearing in the flight path based on a shot picture of a camera or a built-in radar and the like; a visual indication or the like is given when it is determined that the guided object enters the wrong path. The drone 410 can continuously communicate with the control center 421 at the start or during the navigation, and the control center 421 can monitor the current conditions of the various places in the building in real time and can update the guidance destination or the guidance route in real time based on the current conditions (e.g., emergency conditions).

In addition to using visual guidance, the navigation scheme of the present invention may be combined with a voice interaction scheme. For example, the control device and/or the mini-analyzer interact with the guided object in a voice during the guidance process. Here, the booting process may include stages of booting start, booting process in, and booting end. In the guidance starting stage, the guided object may interact with the control device to determine its guided destination as shown in the right side of fig. 4, at which time the control device (e.g., the control terminal 422 implemented as the smart voice interaction device) may directly perform voice interaction with the guided object and may be responsible for recognizing the user's intention and returning the corresponding voice by the control center 421. During the guidance process, the small aircraft or the visual guidance device can use its voice function to guide the user, even the user interacts. In a simple implementation, the small aircraft and/or the visual guidance device may directly play the voice guidance content to the user, in which case the small aircraft or the visual guidance device only has the function of a speaker (or, for example, a bluetooth headset worn by the guided object). In a more complex implementation, the small aircraft and/or the visual guidance device are also provided with voice interaction functionality. At this time, the user can also directly input a new destination instruction by voice on the way to be guided. In other embodiments, the guided object may also wear an interactive terminal connected to the control center 421, for example, in which case the small aircraft, the visual guidance device mounted thereon, and the interactive terminal worn by the guided object may be coordinated and controlled by the control center 421. The guided object can receive voice prompt (for example, turning left or right, moving forward 50 meters, etc.) or give new voice instruction at any time by performing voice interaction with the interactive terminal (for example, inputting instruction to a microphone of the interactive terminal, receiving instruction from an earphone). At the end of the guidance, the small aircraft, the visual guidance device mounted thereon, or the like may inform the guided object that the guidance process is finished, and thereafter the small aircraft may fly away.

In addition, the navigation solution of the present invention may also include mechanisms that facilitate interaction of the guided object with the control device or small aircraft during navigation. For example, before being guided to an end point, the guided object may not wish to perform subsequent guidance if the guided object has already made clear the location of its intended destination. At this time, the guided object may operate the small aircraft itself, a control device (e.g., a control terminal or a wearable interactive terminal, etc.), or a visual guidance device to interrupt subsequent navigation. At this time, the guided object may perform a negative gesture (e.g., swing an X-shape with a small arm on the chest) for easy visual recognition, or perform voice or key (or touch screen) operation, for example.

The navigation solution of the present invention can also be implemented as a navigation method. FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram of a navigation method according to one embodiment of the invention. Under different application scenes, the method can be realized by a small aircraft integrated with the visual guide equipment, an independent control device, a control center or a control terminal.

In step S510, a guidance instruction is generated. In step S520, the navigation device performs movement navigation based on the guidance instruction, so that the visual guidance device provided on the navigation performs visual guidance on the guided object.

As mentioned before, the navigation device may be a device that provides navigation by moving itself and comprises at least one of: a small aircraft for flying or hovering; and ground moving means for moving or standing on the ground. The navigation device may also be a device through which the projected movement provides navigation.

In a scenario where a small aircraft is used as the navigation device, step S520 may include: and the small aircraft flies based on the guiding instruction so as to enable a visual guiding device arranged on the small aircraft to visually guide the guided object.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise: based on the guidance instructions and/or the current flight status of the small aircraft, the visual guidance device provides corresponding visual guidance content.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise: locating the position of the guided object; adjusting a current flight state of the small aircraft based on the current position information of the guided object.

In an embodiment implemented in an indoor scenario, the method may further comprise: planning a flight route of the small aircraft according to indoor spatial distribution; and correcting the flight path based on the current indoor condition. The small aircraft can automatically stop at a special charging dock arranged on the ceiling in a standby state.

In one embodiment, the method may further comprise: the visual guidance device utilizes a display screen and/or projection for visual guidance.

During the guidance of the small aircraft, voice can also be used to interact with the guided object. In various implementations, the control device, the visual guidance device, and/or the mini-analyzer may all function as an interactive terminal for voice or other types of interaction (e.g., gesture interaction, etc.) with a user.

In a specific scenario, the navigation method of the present invention may include: the navigation terminal receives a guide instruction input by a guided object and generates a calling command; the idle small aircraft flies to a preset guiding starting position and positions the guided object based on the invoking command; determining a small aircraft flight path and a current state based on the guidance instructions and a current location of the guided object; a visual guidance device provided on the small aircraft visually guides the guided object based on the current positions of the small aircraft and the guided object.

In a specific scenario, a navigation device of the present invention includes: the input unit is used for receiving a guide instruction input by a guided object; a processing unit for generating a call command based on the guiding instruction; and the transmitting unit is used for transmitting the calling instruction to an idle small aircraft so that the idle small aircraft flies to a preset guiding starting position and positions the guided object based on the calling instruction, and the small aircraft and the visual guiding equipment arranged on the small aircraft visually guide the guided object according to the guiding instruction, the small aircraft and the current position of the guided object. The apparatus may be implemented, for example, as the control terminal 422 in fig. 4.

Referring to fig. 6, computing device 600 includes memory 610 and processor 620.

The processor 620 may be a multi-core processor or may include a plurality of processors. In some embodiments, processor 620 may include a general-purpose host processor and one or more special coprocessors such as a Graphics Processor (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), or the like. In some embodiments, processor 620 may be implemented using custom circuits, such as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) or a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

The memory 610 may include various types of storage units, such as system memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), and permanent storage. Wherein the ROM may store static data or instructions that are required by the processor 620 or other modules of the computer. The persistent storage device may be a read-write storage device. The persistent storage may be a non-volatile storage device that does not lose stored instructions and data even after the computer is powered off. In some embodiments, the persistent storage device employs a mass storage device (e.g., magnetic or optical disk, flash memory) as the persistent storage device. In other embodiments, the permanent storage may be a removable storage device (e.g., floppy disk, optical drive). The system memory may be a read-write memory device or a volatile read-write memory device, such as a dynamic random access memory. The system memory may store instructions and data that some or all of the processors require at runtime. In addition, the memory 610 may include any combination of computer-readable storage media, including various types of semiconductor memory chips (DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, programmable read-only memory), magnetic and/or optical disks, may also be employed. In some embodiments, memory 610 may include a removable storage device that is readable and/or writable, such as a Compact Disc (CD), a digital versatile disc read only (e.g., DVD-ROM, dual layer DVD-ROM), a Blu-ray disc read only, an ultra-dense disc, a flash memory card (e.g., SD card, min SD card, Micro-SD card, etc.), a magnetic floppy disk, or the like. Computer-readable storage media do not contain carrier waves or transitory electronic signals transmitted by wireless or wired means.

The memory 610 has stored thereon executable code that, when processed by the processor 620, causes the processor 620 to perform the navigation methods described above.

The navigation system, method and apparatus according to the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the navigation scheme of the invention can provide visual and convenient visual guidance for the guided object by combining the unmanned aerial vehicle with the visual guidance. The scheme can be combined with the functions of the intelligent control center of a building or other places, and timely and effective guidance is provided for users.

Furthermore, the method according to the invention may also be implemented as a computer program or computer program product comprising computer program code instructions for carrying out the above-mentioned steps defined in the above-mentioned method of the invention.

Alternatively, the invention may also be embodied as a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (or computer-readable storage medium, or machine-readable storage medium) having stored thereon executable code (or a computer program, or computer instruction code) which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device (or computing device, server, etc.), causes the processor to perform the steps of the above-described method according to the invention.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems and methods according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems which perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

Having described embodiments of the present invention, the foregoing description is intended to be exemplary, not exhaustive, and not limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein is chosen in order to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application, or improvements made to the technology in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A navigation system, comprising:

a navigation device for providing mobile navigation;

a visual guidance device disposed on the navigation device for providing visual guidance; and

a control device for controlling the flight of the navigation device and the guidance content of the visual guidance device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device is to:

generating a guide instruction;

sending the guidance instruction to the navigation device,

the navigation device is configured to:

and performing mobile navigation based on the guiding instruction to enable the visual guiding device to visually guide the guided object.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein generating the guidance instructions comprises:

receiving a query of a guided object;

and generating a guiding instruction containing guiding destination position information based on the inquiry result.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the visual guidance device is to:

and providing corresponding visual guide content based on the guide instruction and the current mobile navigation state of the navigation equipment.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the small aircraft further comprises:

a positioning device for positioning the position of the guided object, an

The navigation device is configured to:

and adjusting the current mobile navigation state based on the current position information of the guided object.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the positioning device comprises at least one of:

the positioning information receiving device is used for acquiring a positioning signal which is actively sent by the guided object or acquired by other equipment; and

a target tracking device for actively tracking the guided object.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein visual guidance content of the visual guidance device is adjusted based on current location information of the guided object.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation system is a venue specific navigation system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is a device that provides navigation through its own movement.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the navigation device comprises at least one of:

a small aircraft for flying or hovering;

the ground or wall surface moving device is used for moving or stopping on the ground or wall surface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the small aircraft is to:

planning a flight route according to the spatial distribution of the places; and

correcting the flight path based on the current condition of the site.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a dedicated charging dock disposed on the ceiling.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the navigation device is a device that provides navigation through its projected movement.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual guidance device comprises at least one of:

a device for performing visual guidance using a display screen;

a device for visual guidance using projection.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device comprises:

a control unit built in the navigation device and/or the visual guidance device.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device comprises:

a separate control device in wireless communication with the navigation device and/or the visual guidance device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system includes a plurality of small aerial vehicles as the navigation device,

the control device is configured to:

planning a route for each small aircraft to hover and/or fly based on the guidance space information for the small aircraft to guide and other small aircraft related messages.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the control device comprises:

the control terminal is used for interacting with the guided object to receive the query of the guided object;

a control center for:

generating a guidance instruction based on the query;

and calling a navigation device to perform mobile navigation based on the guiding instruction, and guiding the guided object by using a visual guiding device arranged on the navigation device.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the control device, the visual guidance device, and/or the mini-analyzer voice-interact with the guided object during guidance.

20. A navigation method, comprising:

generating a guide instruction;

the navigation device performs mobile navigation based on the guiding instruction, so that the visual guiding device arranged on the navigation performs visual guiding on the guided object.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the navigation device is a device that provides navigation through self-movement and includes at least one of:

a small aircraft for flying or hovering;

the ground or wall surface moving device is used for moving or standing still on the ground or wall surface.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the navigation device performing mobile navigation based on the guidance instruction to cause a visual guidance device disposed on the navigation to visually guide the guided object comprises:

and the small aircraft flies based on the guiding instruction so as to enable a visual guiding device arranged on the small aircraft to visually guide the guided object.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

based on the guidance instructions and/or the current flight status of the small aircraft, the visual guidance device provides corresponding visual guidance content.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

locating the position of the guided object;

adjusting a current flight state of the small aircraft based on the current position information of the guided object.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

planning a flight route of the small aircraft according to indoor spatial distribution; and

and correcting the flight path based on the current indoor condition.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

the small aircraft automatically stops at a special charging dock arranged on the ceiling in a standby state.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

the visual guidance device utilizes a display screen and/or projection for visual guidance.

28. A navigation method, comprising:

the navigation terminal receives a guide instruction input by a guided object and generates a calling command;

the idle small aircraft flies to a preset guiding starting position and positions the guided object based on the invoking command;

determining a small aircraft flight path and a current state based on the guidance instructions and a current location of the guided object;

a visual guidance device provided on the small aircraft visually guides the guided object based on the current positions of the small aircraft and the guided object.

29. A navigation device, comprising:

the input unit is used for receiving a guide instruction input by a guided object;

a processing unit for generating a call command based on the guiding instruction;

and the transmitting unit is used for transmitting the calling instruction to an idle small aircraft so as to enable an idle mobile navigation device to move to a preset guide starting position and locate the guided object based on the calling instruction, and the mobile navigation device and the visual guide device arranged on the mobile navigation device visually guide the guided object according to the guide instruction, the mobile navigation device and the current position of the guided object.

30. A computing device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having executable code stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform the method of any of claims 20-28.

31. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon executable code, which when executed by a processor of an electronic device, causes the processor to perform the method of any of claims 20-28.