EP2324648A1

EP2324648A1 - Interactive system for guidance and information on mobile telephone or analogous terminal

Info

Publication number: EP2324648A1
Application number: EP09784495A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Atmin Ait Hamouda; Frédéric CHAZELLE
Original assignee: EMBEDIA
Current assignee: EMBEDIA
Priority date: 2008-08-06
Filing date: 2009-07-09
Publication date: 2011-05-25
Also published as: FR2934940A1; FR2934940B1; WO2010015763A1; US20110201319A1

Abstract

The system is aimed in particular at guiding and informing persons with reduced mobility. It comprises a fixed apparatus (1) with a central processing unit, which communicates by radio waves with mobile telephones (2) or analogous terminals, loaded with a specific programme, which are carried by the users. The latter can thus receive in real time, in a zone (5) centred on the fixed apparatus (1), information in connection with the place at which this apparatus is installed. This system applies in particular to an urban transport network, for guiding and informing travellers at waiting or stopping points.

Description

Guidance and interactive information system on mobile phone or similar terminal

The present invention generally relates to an interactive guidance and information system, operating on a mobile phone or similar terminal, such as a personal assistant, carried by a user of the system. This invention is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with a guidance and information system that can be used by persons with reduced mobility, in particular with the aim of facilitating the orientation and the movement of these persons in transport networks. collective or in public buildings, or in other places or similar areas, other categories of persons who may also be concerned.

The generalization of the mobile phone, the new wireless connection technologies and the new behaviors created by the Internet in particular induce lasting changes in the relationship of individuals to their immediate environment and in the access to instant information. The public would like to be able to have the contextual information delivered during their daily travels, and exploit this information either in the moment, or later. However, he does not have the time or the means to record this information and so he forgets them quickly. Neither can he interact with this information, especially to consult selectively, make reservations or participate in another way.

These general difficulties are even more marked for people who are confronted with the additional difficulty of moving and who are subjected, in their movements and / or in other actions, to obstacles which they can not, or can only very easily overcome alone without outside help, these people being generally referred to as "persons with reduced mobility".

In particular, this category includes persons who, because of an accident, illness or congenital condition, have difficulty moving, seeing, hearing or understanding, as well as persons suffering from a temporary disability. for example following a fractured leg. This category should also include people who are in good health but are accompanied by a toddler and / or loaded with luggage, bags, etc., or persons with temporary difficulties of comprehension, such as foreigners or tourists not understanding the local language.

Persons with reduced mobility represent a large group of the population and thus thirty-five percent of the French population corresponds to this classification, of which approximately:

- 3 million people with visual impairment,

- 5 million people with hearing loss,

- 8 million people with motor impairment.

It should also be noted that, as France is one of the main tourist destinations in the world, tourists facing difficulties of understanding are numerous.

In order to facilitate the integration of these people in particular in their access to information, buildings receiving the public and means of transport, provisions have already been made in the legislative field, particularly in France as early as 2005 but also in other countries. Westerners, by providing that "... the transport chain, which includes the built environment, the roads, the public spaces, the transport systems and their intermodality, is organized to enable its accessibility in its entirety for people with disabilities or with low mobility. Within a period of ten years from the date of publication of this Act ... public transit services shall be accessible to persons with disabilities and reduced mobility. "

(extract from article 45 of the French law n ° 2005-102 for the equal rights and the chances, the participation and the citizenship of the handicapped people).

Similar resolutions have also been adopted at European level.

In order to facilitate the accessibility of buildings and transport systems to persons with reduced mobility, it is necessary, inter alia, to make available to these persons appropriate information that can guide them taking into account their disability. Various methods exist to date or at least have been envisaged.

Known solutions for mobile telephony and access to the mobile Internet exist, but they most often require heavy infrastructures (GSM networks, satellites) and are paying for the user, without allowing the user to interact in a simple and effective way with his environment, while it constantly updates its communication to accompany it in everyday life. In addition, these solutions do not work or only poorly in some indoor environments, such as underground passages and metro stations or tunnels, due to the lack of networks in such spaces. Moreover, even if they work properly, these mobile phone communication solutions usually only deliver general or commercial information, aimed at the entire population (eg meteorological bulletins, advertisements, games). , without addressing a particular category of audience and, most often, unrelated to the location of the user. Finally, the solutions of the radio or telephone type considered here generally require numerous manipulations on the part of the user (such as calling a particular number, receiving an SMS message, choosing a mobile Internet link, selecting a content, validating ), manipulations that remain complex for anyone, including and especially the disabled and especially the visually impaired.

GPS-based geolocation systems exist, but they are very rarely deployed in common devices of the mobile phone type and most often use small-sized computers worn over the shoulder with an antenna, a GPS receiver and a loudspeaker. In addition to the need for the user to equip heavily, these systems also suffer from problems of reception and quality or accuracy of the GPS signal due to the built environment (areas of high urbanization, indoor or indoor sites ), the difficulty of miniaturization of the individual housings and the inaccuracy of geographical records.

Other systems exist that aim to inform and guide. For example, remote controls for the visually impaired and blind are known, enabling them to obtain, from traffic lights, information on the current state of the crossing of a traffic lane. Audio tags activated by these same remote controls, or activated by pressing a button as is the case for example at certain bus stops, also allow receiving audio messages on request. The information is broadcast here by low-frequency radio systems, which emit in all directions within a hundred meters radius. These systems are designed to give invariable information such as orientation indications, but they show quickly their limits when it comes to disseminating dynamic information. In all cases, the user must be provided with specific equipment that operates the operation of a speaker, which can be considered a source of noise pollution. Being non-directive, these systems have the disadvantage of being scrambled by parasitic electromagnetic waves of near frequency. In addition, these systems are considered indiscreet because the sound messages are delivered to all people in the vicinity, which does not meet the need for assistance of a person with reduced mobility in all discretion and in the 'anonymity. Finally, it is a solution dedicated to people with a particular disability, and not addressed to all people with reduced mobility.

The magnetic loop is a known system for electromagnetic transmission of a sound wave. It is an effective solution, even in the presence of noise, only for hearing-impaired people wearing a hearing aid equipped with a function called "T" (telephone position). The operating principle here is close to that of an amplifier associated with a microphone and a loudspeaker. As in the previous case, this solution remains very specific to a particular type of disability.

Similarly, there are other devices very specific to a disability, for example visual, such as the radar cap, the radar pendant or the laser cane, used in the detection of obstacles and which require special equipment of the person user, without offering a universal solution in terms of adaptation to various handicaps. In addition, the use of such means requires some learning and correct posture of the user. Finally, in their basic versions, these detection means are more security than a solution allowing the user to locate and navigate, especially in an unknown environment. Finally, it is worth mentioning conventional information systems such as billboards or display screens, light-emitting diode displays or loudspeakers, which sometimes are not accessible depending on the person's position (distance, obstacles , crowd) and which remain mostly unusable for people with reduced mobility, such as the visually impaired, hard of hearing and physically disabled. In view of the multiple drawbacks of the current sol utions mentioned above, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an interactive guidance and information system that can be used with a mobile telephone and more generally with any type of similar portable terminal. therefore not requiring specific equipment and heavy, and may be suitable for any kind of disability without excluding any use by anyone, the proposed system providing real assistance and "proximity" to users in relation to the places where they are, including closed places such as buildings or undergrounds, without excluding the means of transport, the system being of simple use and allowing a real "dialogue". A more particular object of the invention is to provide a system for people said to have reduced mobility in order to facilitate the orientation and movement of these people, and their access to information, in public transport networks, in public buildings and other similar places or spaces.

To this end, the subject of the invention is an interactive guidance and information system, operating on a mobile telephone or a similar terminal, more particularly intended for persons with reduced mobility, the system comprising, on the one hand, a fixed equipment comprising a central processing unit, a memory containing digital messages to be transmitted and data received, a radio wave communication interface connected to a radio antenna, and an external and / or internal power supply, the fixed equipment being responsible for a specific program designed to manage communication with mobile phones or the like using a specific universal connection identifier, and secondly to equip a user's mobile phone or similar terminal with a user interface. communication by radio waves, a specific application managing the communication with the fixed equipment, thus making the t mobile telephoning or the like terminal capable of entering into exchange with said fixed equipment, in particular to receive information related to the physical location of said fixed equipment.

Note that in this definition the term "fixed equipment" is used in contrast to the portable equipment available to the user, but does not mean that said fixed equipment is totally immobile; thus, this "fixed" equipment can be loaded onto a public transport vehicle. Thus, the principle of the solution proposed by the invention is based on the establishment of a "dialogue" between equipment installed in a specific place, such as a bus stop or a subway platform in the case of a public transport network, or a reception hall in the case of a building receiving the public, on the one hand, and portable equipment such as a mobile phone or personal assistant previously in charge of a specific application, on the other hand go. Thanks to this dialogue, any person and in particular a person with reduced mobility can be supported and informed, either visually (in the case of a hearing or foreign person), or by voice (in the case of a hearing or hearing impaired person). 'a foreign person), this automatically after the specific application has been activated by the user. In particular, after activation of this application on the phone or portable terminal, it automatically searches in its immediate environment, for example within a radius of 20 to 30 meters, the specific universal identifier for recognizing and locating the device. fixed equipment and / or secure access points that allow its use. The fixed equipment then establishes a permanent communication channel, via an identification and mutual authorization protocol, to establish a dialogue with radio communication with the telephone or terminal concerned, in order to deliver real-time information to it. in visual or sound form in connection with the equipped place. The communication is interrupted either voluntarily by deactivation of the specific application on the telephone or the terminal, or automatically when the user, and therefore the telephone or the terminal, leaves the interaction zone with the fixed equipment. Advantageously, this fixed equipment is also in connection with a remote station for entering and updating the information to be delivered, so that the information delivered to the telephones or terminals can be updated.

The specific application, integrated in a telephone or terminal, receives the information broadcast by the fixed equipment, and it presents them directly in their original format to the user. Thus, in the case of a sound sequence, the phone reads this sequence and makes it audible by its speaker; if it is a video sequence, the phone directly plays this sequence and displays it on the screen. The specific application can also receive, from the fixed equipment, questions to which the user can answer via the keys of the keypad of his telephone or other terminal, thus allowing the latter to also function as a transmitter, which makes the system truly interactive.

The fixed equipment advantageously presents itself as a sealed case, which easily integrates into already existing communication media such as electronic billboards, digital information strips, information terminals for travelers, signposts for bus stops, window displays and posters. Insofar as the housing of the fixed equipment, or the support receiving this equipment, can hinder the transmission of radio waves, the radio antenna of said equipment is advantageously an antenna outside the housing. The fixed equipment can also be easily connected to any telecommunications network, in particular a computer-like network, to enable its remote control by the data entry and update station. The interactive guidance and information system, which is the subject of the invention, is applicable inter alia to a public transport network, in particular to an urban transport network such as a bus network, for guiding and informing travelers of waiting points or stopping points. In this case of application, the fixed equipment can be easily housed in a communication medium, existing or to be created, such as post or sign, usually placed at a waiting point or stop of the public transport network concerned.

Still in the context of the application of the invention to a public transport network, the guidance and information system may further comprise a radio link of the fixed equipment with a public transport vehicle such as a bus, when approaching the holding or stopping point equipped with the system; this radio link is intended to alert the driver of the vehicle in the event that a person with reduced mobility reported using his telephone or other terminal at the point of standstill or stop considered. The driver can thus prepare to welcome the person with reduced mobility.

Overall, the guidance and information system object of the invention has the following advantages:

- It addresses all types of disabilities and situations, and in particular to people with reduced mobility, to meet their need for guidance and information. - It requires, as the only equipment of the user, a mobile phone or a portable terminal such as a personal assistant, which are currently very generalized equipment, no specific equipment is needed. - The system is suitable for all locations, including closed spaces such as buildings and underground spaces.

- The connection operations are simplified for the user: a simple touch of the button on the mobile phone is enough to activate the system. - In addition, the user can always activate or deactivate the system, depending on his needs for guidance or information.

- The information received is directly and instantly accessible, that is to say, viewable and / or audible, tel ephon e and this its ns complex manipulations, whatever the form of this information: sounds, text, images stationary, video sequence.

- The system allows geo-localized interaction, providing information and assistance "in proximity", taking into account the local context.

- The delay in sending and receiving information is immediate because the system "embeds" locally the information in its fixed equipment, and does not require, in its basic operation, access to a remote data server.

- Fixed equipment can handle multiple phones, so multiple users, simultaneously, possibly with specific management; thus, in case two users would connect simultaneously, the fixed equipment can make a comparison of the distances according to the power of the signal, and give priority to the person thus detected as being the closest.

- The interaction radius of the system can be made adaptable. - The use of the system is free, in particular it does not involve telephone connection fees for each use.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing representing, by way of example, an embodiment of this guidance and interactive information system on a mobile or terminal telephone. similar : Figure 1 is a schematic diagram, very simplified, of the guidance system and information object of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a block diagram of the system of the invention, applied to an urban transport network; Figure 3 shows, in more detail, the fixed equipment of the system of Figure 2, associated with a host equipment;

Figure 4 is a block diagram of the portable equipment of this system.

FIG. 1 illustrates the general architecture of a guidance and information system according to the invention. The system comprises a fixed equipment 1, which is designed to communicate with mobile telephones 2 or similar terminals, provided with a specific function, via bidirectional radio links 3, 4, in a circular or spherical zone 5 centered on this fixed equipment 1. The fixed equipment 1 is remotely supervised by a station 6, via a link 7 of wired or wireless type (radio). Thus, the mobile phones 2 connected can receive, from the fixed equipment 1, information including for guiding people, which are delivered in real time, the information or delivered being related to the place equipped. The information transmitted by the fixed equipment 1 towards the connected telephones 2 is updated by the remote station 6, itself controlled by an operator. The communication is interrupted by deactivating the specific function of a telephone 2, or when it leaves zone 5 allowing the interaction with the fixed equipment 1.

Referring to Figures 2 and su ivantes, this system will now be described in more detail, taking as an example of non-limiting application a system applied to an urban transport network, more particularly a bus network.

The fixed equipment 1 is embedded in a "host equipment" 8, which can generally be a piece of street furniture, a traditional or electronic billboard, a display screen or an information terminal, etc., and which in the application example considered here is in particular a bus stop sign or sign, of the "variable message sign" type, providing visual information such as the waiting time up to the passage of the next bus, or an indication such as "Bus approach", this in a manner currently well known in itself. The fixed equipment 1 comprises a sealed housing 9, housed inside the the host equipment 8 which, in addition to constituting a mechanical support for the fixed equipment 1, can be assimilated electrically to a Faraday cage. For this reason, the fixed equipment 1 comprises an antenna 10 remote from the housing 9 and the host equipment 8. Finally, the fixed equipment 1 comprises a power supply from an electrical distribution network or from the host equipment 8, and / or a battery power supply conferring a certain autonomy.

On its face, the host equipment 8 may include a pictogram 11 recalling that this host equipment 8 is participating in the guidance and information system (object of the invention).

The fixed equipment 1 itself is an interactive central unit, mainly including: a connection component 12 for the connection 7 with the remote station 6, a central processing unit 13, another connection component 14 connected to the external antenna 10 for communication with mobile phones 2, a data memory 15 which stores the messages to be broadcast and which can also record statistical data, and a program 16 which carries out the processing and communications, in particular the automatic formatting of messages and their broadcast to mobile phones 2, as well as receiving messages from mobile phones 2 - see in particular Figure 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the mobile telephone 2 adapted for this use comprises, as usual, a display screen 17, a microphone-earphone assembly 18 and a keyboard (not shown). In addition, this mobile phone 2 is provided with a program 19 associated with a memory 20, to make the connection with the fixed equipment 1 and to manage real-time data exchange with this fixed equipment 1.

Referring again to FIG. 2, and according to an interesting option, the guidance and information system may further comprise a radio link with a bus 21 located at the approach of the bus stop considered here, to inform the bus driver that a person with reduced mobility who has used his mobile phone 2 is on standby at this bus stop and requires special assistance or attention, depending on the nature of the bus disability. The additional radio link to the bus 21 establishes a medium-range communication, of the order of a few hundred meters, which allows the driver to be alerted sufficiently in advance to prepare for the action to be carried out. of reported disability (for example: deployment of an access ramp, for a person in a wheelchair).

Overall, the operation of the guidance and information system is as follows, considering a user equipped with a mobile phone 2 responsible for the program 19 specific to this system:

The user starts by activating the connection, and after activation of the connection, the mobile phone 2 automatically searches, in its immediate environment, for the specific universal identifier that makes it possible to authenticate and locate the fixed equipment 1 (installed in the device). host equipment 8).

The fixed equipment 1 then establishes a permanent communication channel, via the radio wave communication protocol of the mobile phone 2 concerned, in order to deliver in real time the information or information related to the place equipped. The fixed equipment 1 thus transmits, in the direction of the or each connected mobile phone 2, the updated information from the remote station 6.

The application integrated in the mobile phone 2 of the user considered receives the information or information sent to him, and it presents this information directly in their original format. Thus, if it is an audio sequence, the telephone 2 reads and audibly reproduces this sequence on its earphone 18; if it is a video sequence, the phone 2 directly starts its display on its screen 17. The application can also receive questions, which the user can answer using the keys on the keypad of his phone 2, which then operates as a transmitter, taking advantage of the bidirectional radio link 3, 4. Information is thus exchanged between the fixed equipment 1 and the mobile phone 2 of the user in question, with various possibilities and options.

The user has the possibility of selecting his preferences, so as to allow personalized access to the information, the nature of the information transmitted being thus selectable. This option makes it possible to define a "user profile", optimizing the interaction between the fixed equipment 1 and each mobile telephone 2.

The system also provides, advantageously, the ability to select a language, namely the language in which the user wishes to hear his audio messages or read his messages and video sequences. The system thus makes it possible to translate, in the language of the user, the information broadcast in a sound or visual manner but in the only language of the place, from the host equipment 8.

The audio or video messages received by the user on his mobile phone 2 can be stored in the memory 20 of this telephone 2 for reading or delayed use.

In the context of the application considered, namely an urban transport network such as a bus network, the system gives any user the possibility of being informed in real time, on his mobile phone 2, not only of the indication 22 displayed by the host equipment 8, such as the waiting time of the bus, but also other elements: traffic status, disturbances, development work, exceptional events such as those requiring evacuation emergency, etc. The system is thus used not only in association and in synchronism with the host equipment 8, which already broadcasts "primary" information, but also in addition to this host equipment 8, for the dissemination of "complementary" information, in particular adapted to guide a person with reduced mobility.

The messages exchanged between the fixed equipment 1 and the mobile telephones 2 can also give rise to real-time operation, for example to alert the driver of a bus 21 when approaching a stop (see below). top), or for statistical purposes or other processing of connections, questions and answers from users.

Of course, the guidance and information system according to the invention is also applicable, with the necessary adaptations, to urban or interurban public transport networks other than bus networks, in particular tramway or tramway networks. subway, or railway networks. In these cases, the fixed equipment can equip all usual waiting points: halls, quays, shelters for travelers, etc. where the user is likely to receive information, and in particular to be guided especially if it is a person with reduced mobility. In the context of public transport networks, the equipment

"Fixed" 1 can also be embedded in personal transport vehicles, such as buses, trams or metro trains, to ensure continuity of service provided by the guidance and information system. Thus, after being mounted in the veh icule he was waiting for, the user can continue to receive on his mobile phone 2 useful information. Other fields of application are also conceivable for the guidance and information system that is the subject of the present invention.

Thus, this system can be applied to the guidance and information of persons with reduced mobility, and more generally of all persons requiring assistance, in buildings and other closed places such as administrative buildings (town hall, post office, etc. .), cultural spaces such as museums and other places of exhibition. In the latter case, the system makes it possible to deliver information throughout a visit route, this system allowing visitors to use their own mobile phone in place of the usual "audio-guide" devices.

In a similar way, the system can provide guidance and provide accurate information, in relation to the place, in open spaces: zoos, green spaces, tourist sites, etc.

Thanks to its interactive nature, and regardless of the application, the system also makes it possible to question the user public, for opinion polls or satisfaction surveys, or to carry out or facilitate commercial transactions, by guiding consumers in their purchases according to an initially defined preference profile.

It is not departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims:

- on the user side, by replacing the mobile phone by any similar terminal, such as a personal assistant, which can be worn by the user and communicate with the fixed equipment;

in that it concerns the fixed equipment, by integrating it with a computer instead of designing it as a specific housing, for example by incorporating it into the onboard computer of a vehicle in the case of equipment mounted in a vehicle such as a bus;

incorporating the fixed equipment directly into a host equipment, such as a billboard, as soon as the panel is manufactured; - by adapting the system to all applications, and by adding to it all complementary functions depending on the application.

Claims

1. Interactive guidance and information system, operating on a mobile phone or on a similar terminal, such as a personal assistant, worn by a user of the system, the latter being more particularly intended for persons with reduced mobility, characterized in that it comprises, on the one hand, fixed equipment (1) comprising a central processing unit (13), a memory (15) containing digital messages to be transmitted and data received, an interface (14) of radio wave communication connected to a radio antenna (10), and an external and / or internal power supply, the fixed equipment (1) being charged with a specific program (16) designed to handle communication with mobile telephones ( 2) or similar terminals using a specific universal connection identifier, and secondly, equipping the mobile telephone (2) or a similar terminal of a user, provided with a communication interface by means of radio waves. adio, a specific application (19) managing the communication with the fixed equipment (1), thus making the mobile telephone (2) or similar terminal capable of entering into exchange with this fixed equipment (1), in particular for receiving information relating to the location of said fixed equipment (1).

2. Guidance and interactive information system according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixed equipment (1) is in connection with a remote station (6) for inputting and updating the information to be delivered, so that the information delivered to the telephones (2) or terminals can be updated.

Interactive guide and information system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the information broadcast by the fixed equipment (1) comprises a sound sequence and / or a video sequence, read by telephone (2).

Interactive guidance and information system according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fixed equipment (1) is a sealed housing (9) which can be integrated into a host device ( 8), in particular in an existing communication medium.

5. Guidance system and interactive information according to claim 4, characterized in that the antenna (10) of the fixed equipment (1) is an antenna outside the housing (9).

6. A guidance and interactive information system according to claim 5, characterized in that the antenna (10) is remote to the outside of the host equipment (8).

Interactive guidance and information system according to claim 2, characterized in that the fixed equipment (1) is connected to a telecommunications network, in particular a computer-type network, to enable its remote control by the station (6) for inputting and updating information.

Interactive guidance and information system according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it is applied to a public transport network, in particular an urban transport network such as a bus network. , for guiding and informing travelers at holding or stopping points.

Interactive guidance and information system according to Claims 4 and 8, characterized in that the fixed equipment (1) is housed in a communication medium, such as a post or sign, placed at a point waiting or stopping the public transport network concerned.

1 0. Guidance system and interactive information according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises a radio link of the fixed equipment (1) with a public transport vehicle such as a bus (21). ), when approaching the holding or stopping point equipped with the system, such radio link being intended to alert the driver of the said vehicle in the event of a person with reduced mobility having reported, using his / her telephone (2) or other terminal, at the point of standstill or stop considered.