FR3061345A1 - INTERACTIVE TERMINAL OF RECEPTION AND INFORMATION FOR USERS OF A PUBLIC SITE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an interactive terminal (1) for receiving and / or informing a user of a public place including a translucent rear projection screen (2) having a display face (2a) and a face projection device (2b), the display face (2a) of the screen comprising a touch interface for allowing a user to interact with the terminal (1); a projection device (3) of an image on the projection face (2b) of the screen (2); a sensor (5) for identifying the presence of a user in a given area and for a time greater than a determined threshold, the determined area facing the display face (2a) of the screen (2); and an electronic central unit (4) connected to the touch interface of the rear projection screen (2), to the projection device (3) and to the presence sensor (5). The central unit (4) is configured to develop and supply the images to the projection device (3) according to the information provided by the presence sensor (5) and the touch interface of the screen (2).

Description

Holder (s):

HAROUNIAN HERVE.

O Extension request (s):

(® Agent (s): IP TRUST.

® INTERACTIVE RECEPTION AND INFORMATION TERMINAL FOR USERS IN A PUBLIC PLACE.

FR 3,061,345 - A1 (57) The invention relates to an interactive terminal (1) for receiving and / or informing a user of a public place comprising a translucent rear projection screen (2) having a face display (2a) and a projection face (2b), the display face (2a) of the screen comprising a touch interface to allow a user to interact with the terminal (1); a device for projecting (3) an image onto the projection face (2b) of the screen (2); a sensor (5) for identifying the presence of a user in a determined area and for a time greater than a determined threshold, the determined area facing the display face (2a) of the screen (2); and an electronic central unit (4) connected to the touch interface of the rear projection screen (2), to the projection device (3) and to the presence sensor (5). The central unit (4) is configured to develop and supply the images to the projection device (3) according to the information provided by the presence sensor (5) and the touch screen interface (2).

-1 INTERACTIVE RECEPTION AND INFORMATION TERMINAL FOR USERS IN A PUBLIC PLACE

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an interactive reception and information terminal for users of a public place.

TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

We know, for example from document FR2812441, an interactive terminal installed at a fixed station in a public place and comprising a display screen, an input device, such as a keyboard, connected to a computer. It can be a “self-service” terminal allowing, for example, to issue a transport ticket, or general information (plans, timetables) relating to the public place in question. More generally, known interactive terminals are configured to carry out a single task or a very limited number of predefined tasks, in response to the precise directives provided by the user.

In addition, a certain level of confidentiality or discretion is generally expected in the exchange of information that takes place between the user and the terminal. For this purpose, it is generally placed in the public place and configured to ensure this level of confidentiality and discretion. Thus, the display screen is chosen to have a reduced dimension, in order to avoid that the information displayed is not too visible for users other than that operating the terminal.

The known interactive kiosks are therefore not suitable for ensuring a reception mission for a user in a public place, for which it is expected that the kiosk is arranged to be particularly visible and configured to take the initiative of communication with the 'user.

The present invention aims to overcome all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks. It aims in particular to provide a terminal

-2interactive particularly configured to ensure a reception and / or information mission in a public place.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With a view to achieving one of these aims, the object of the invention provides an interactive reception and / or information terminal for a user of a public place comprising:

- a translucent rear projection screen having a display face and a projection face, the display face of the screen having a tactile interface to allow a user to interact with the terminal;

- a device for projecting an image onto the projection face of the screen;

a sensor for identifying the presence of a user in a determined zone and for a time greater than a determined threshold, the determined zone facing the display face of the screen;

- an electronic central unit connected to the touch screen interface of the rear projection screen, to the projection device and to the presence sensor, and configured to process and / or supply the images to the projection device according to the information provided by the presence and touch screen interface.

According to other advantageous and non-limiting characteristics of the invention, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination:

• the projection screen is mounted on a frame;

• the metal frame has a base allowing the screen to be kept vertical with respect to the ground;

• the central unit is integrated into the base;

the rear projection screen is formed by a polycarbonate panel;

• the presence sensor includes an ultrasonic rangefinder;

• The interactive terminal also includes at least one speaker and a microphone connected to the central unit.

According to another aspect, the invention also relates to an administrative task processing system comprising an interactive reception and / or information terminal as presented above, connected to at least one processing station.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the detailed description of the invention which follows with reference to the single appended figure which represents an interactive reception and / or information terminal in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 represents an interactive reception and / or information terminal 1 in accordance with the invention.

Terminal 1 includes a translucent rear projection screen 2. In a preferred arrangement, this screen is placed vertically on the ground, in a reception area of a public place, in order to be easily visible and to be able to face a user of this place. The rear projection screen 2 has a display face 2a oriented towards the reception space, and a projection face 2b, opposite the display face 2a. The projection face 2b is in turn oriented towards a projection device 3 in order to receive an image which will be visible to the user on the side of the display face 2a of the translucent screen 2.

This rear projection projection configuration on a passive screen is particularly suitable for its installation in a public place, because it allows the screen 2 to be placed directly and very visibly in the reception area, while

Locating the projection device 3, which can be what can be a fragile or expensive object, in a separate place, less accessible to users and able to be secured. For the same reasons of robustness and security, the translucent rear projection screen 2 can be formed from a polycarbonate panel.

In order to be clearly visible and therefore to ensure its reception function, the rear projection screen 2 preferably has a large size, corresponding for example to the size of a human person. Screen 2 can for example have the shape of a rectangle whose short side resting on the ground measures on the order of 1 m, and the long side, perpendicular to the ground, measures on the order of 2 m. In this way it is possible to display the image of a person in real size, which facilitates or provokes contact with a user.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the rear projection screen 2 is mounted on a frame 6, for example a metal frame, making it possible to keep the screen perfectly flat and to make the assembly robust and rigid. The frame 6 may have a base 7 making it possible to hold the screen vertical with respect to the ground.

According to the invention, the display face 2a of the rear projection screen 2 comprises a tactile interface, that is to say that it is provided with a device making it possible to locate on the surface of the screen a position or a plurality of positions pointed by the user. It may for example be a plurality of infrared transceivers, arranged opposite one another along the sides of the screen 2, and a control box connected to the receivers and making it possible to provide the coordinates of the zone or zones pointed by the user. The tactile interface formed by the transceivers as well as the control box can be integrated into the frame 6 of the interactive terminal 1.

Whatever the technology used, the touch-sensitive display face 2a of the rear projection screen 2 allows the user to interact with the interactive terminal 1, for example by

- 5 designating with your finger an area of the screen displaying an image or a text representative of one of its needs.

As we have seen, the interactive terminal 1 also includes a projection device 3 making it possible, when it is properly oriented towards the screen 2, to project an image onto the projection face 2b.

By "image" we mean any representation that can be projected on screen 2: it can be photos, films, texts, virtual images (animated or not) or any other combination of these forms of representation .

The projection device can correspond to or include a video projector having a brightness (for example greater than 2000 lumens) and a contrast ratio (for example greater than 1000: 1) sufficient for the application and the location envisaged.

Unlike the prior art interactive devices, the interactive terminal of the invention seeks to establish and cause communication with a user concerned. It is therefore important to be able to accurately detect the presence of such a user. It is particularly important that the interactive terminal 1 can discriminate a simple passage of an informed user. According to in the reception area of the public place the presence of a user needing to be welcomed and / or the invention, this functionality is obtained by providing the interactive terminal 1 with a presence sensor making it possible to detect the presence of a user in a specific area and for a period longer than a specified duration.

The determined area of the reception area is arranged in front of the display face

2a of screen 2.

By way of example, the determined area can substantially correspond to a cubic volume of approximately 1 m side arranged in front

The screen

2, on the side of the display face 2a. The determined duration can be between 0.5 seconds and 5 seconds, typically being around 3 seconds.

The presence sensor 5 can be produced from an ultrasonic rangefinder. Advantageously, the latter is integrated into the screen 2, for example in its base 7, as shown in FIG. 1. In this case, care will be taken to orient and configure the rangefinder so that the propagation cone waves intercept the ground outside the determined area, in order to limit interference due to repairs. Part of the processing operations making it possible to determine the presence or absence of a user in the determined area for a sufficient period of time can be handled by a central unit 4 of the interactive terminal 1, the description of which follows.

Thus, an interactive terminal 1 according to the invention also includes an electronic central unit 4, connected to the presence sensor 5, to the touch screen interface of the rear projection screen 2 and to the projection device 3. The central unit 4 , it may be a conventional computer having multimedia functions, is configured to develop and / or provide images to the projection device 3 according to the information provided by the presence sensor 5 and the touch interface 2. The central unit 4 can also be connected to other devices or resources of terminal 1 itself or independent of this terminal 1. The central unit 4 can be connected to a network, for example to the Internet.

For example, a user presence information provided by the presence sensor 5 and transmitted to the central unit 4 can lead this central unit to supply the projection device 3 with a predetermined filmed sequence for display. on the screen 2. This predetermined filmed sequence can be stored in storage means of the central unit 4.

The filmed sequence projected on screen 2 can include text zones, corresponding to tasks that can be carried out by the terminal or to categories of information that it is capable of delivering. The user can selectively activate a task or a category of information by designating it on the screen, for example with the finger. The area of screen 2 designated by

The user is communicated to the central unit 4 by the touch interface which can provide the projector with a new sequence of images associated with the option chosen by the user. The repetition of this sequence makes it possible to initiate a form of dialogue between the user and terminal 1.

In order to improve the quality of this dialogue, the interactive terminal 1 can be fitted with speakers making it possible to accompany the display on the music screen, or an audible or spoken message.

In addition to the tactile interface, the interactive terminal 1 can be equipped with other interfaces allowing the user to give his directives or address his questions. The terminal 1 can thus be equipped with a keyboard or a microphone allowing, with the possible assistance of the central unit 4, the recognition of instructions or voice information coming from the user.

One can also consider equipping the screen 2, for example by integration in the frame 6, with a camera connected to the central unit 4. This camera can allow the user to make visual contact, by teleconference, with another person in order to supplement the preliminary information which may have been provided by the interactive terminal 1. One can also consider, as far as the legal environment allows, to use the camera to carry out facial recognition of the user, in order to provide personalized information or recommendations.

For reasons of compactness of the terminal 1, to facilitate its deployment and / or for aesthetic reasons, the central unit 4 can be integrated in the base 7 of the screen 2, or in any other part of it. For security reasons, and in particular to limit the risks of theft, it may alternatively be preferable to integrate the central unit 4 with the projection device 3, or even to preserve it as a separate element. In all cases, the connection between these elements, that is to say the screen 2, the presence sensor 5, the projection device 3 and the central unit 4

- 8 can be achieved via a wired network or a wireless network.

The interactive terminal 1 for reception and / or information finds a very advantageous application for the processing of administrative tasks. The public place can then be a financial, health or postal establishment, a local administration such as a town hall or a prefecture, a medical center or even a commercial premises.

In this context, the interactive terminal 1, and in particular the central unit 4, can be linked to the computer system of the organization occupying the public place. This interconnection allows, for example, the central unit 4 to access the calendars of the members of the organization in order to offer the user the possibility of making an appointment.

In this context also, terminal 1 can be connected to satellites or to processing stations for these administrative tasks. A welcomed user can be invited by terminal 1 to go to one of the available satellites depending on the nature of the administrative task they wish to even perform.

Each satellite can correspond or comprise an interactive device of the state of the art, comprising for example a display screen, a keyboard, a bank card reader, an identity or fingerprint scanner, a reader NFC (near field communication or “Near Field Communication” according to Anglo-Saxon terminology) or RFID (identification by radio frequency or “Radio Frequency Identification” according to Anglo-Saxon terminology) and / or a printer. Some of these elements can be combined with each other or with other useful elements in order to provide a stand-alone treatment station.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the mode of implementation described and it is possible to make variant embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims (8)

RE VE ND I CAT IONS 1. Interactive terminal (1) for welcoming and / or informing a user of a public place comprising: - a translucent rear projection screen (2) having a display face (2a) and a projection face (2b), the display face (2a) of the screen comprising a touch interface to allow a user to interact with the terminal (1); - a device for projecting (3) an image onto the projection face (2b) of the screen (2); - a sensor (5) for identifying the presence of a user in a determined area and for a time greater than a determined duration, the determined area facing the display face (2a) of the screen (2); - an electronic central unit (4) connected to the touch screen interface of the rear projection screen (2), to the projection device (3) and to the presence sensor (5), and configured to produce and / or provide the images to the projection device (3) according to the information provided by the presence sensor (5) and the touch screen interface (2). 2. Interactive terminal (1) according to the preceding claim wherein the projection screen (2) is mounted on a frame (6). 3. Interactive terminal (1) according to the preceding claim wherein the metal frame (6) has a base (7) for holding the screen (2) vertical to the ground. 4. Interactive terminal (1) according to the preceding claim wherein the central unit (4) is integrated into the base (7). 5. Interactive terminal (1) according to one of the preceding claims wherein the rear projection screen (2) is formed of a polycarbonate panel. 6. Interactive terminal (1) according to one of the preceding claims wherein the presence sensor (5) comprises an ultrasonic rangefinder. - ίο - 7. Interactive terminal (1) according to one of the preceding claims also comprising at least one speaker and a microphone connected to the central unit (4). 5 8. Administrative task processing system comprising an interactive terminal (1) for reception and / or information according to one of the preceding claims, connected to at least one processing station. 1/1