WO2007099416A2

WO2007099416A2 - System for exploiting information selected on the basis of the position of a user, in particular a visually impaired user, method and computer program product therefrom

Info

Publication number: WO2007099416A2
Application number: PCT/IB2006/055062
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrea Borsic; Guido Belforte; Egidio Di Sora; Pericle Farris; Pietro Gambino; Sandra Gallo
Original assignee: Istituto Superiore Mario Boella Sulle Tecnologie Dell'informazione E Delle Telecomunicazioni; Ages Industriale Srl
Priority date: 2005-11-24
Filing date: 2006-11-23
Publication date: 2007-09-07
Also published as: WO2007099416A3; ITTO20050833A1; EP1960981A2

Abstract

System for exploiting information selected on the basis of the position of a user, that includes - one or more transmitting devices (12) capable of transmitting respective information (I) and arranged along a predetermined route (13) , means (11) for receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) and user means (15,16) to reproduce information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) . According to the invention: - said transmitting devices (12) are arranged at specific positions along said predetermined route (13) and said respective information (I) includes a number identifying the transmitting device (12) , - said means (11) for receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) are associated to means (14,15) to send said identification number (I) to one or more databases (32) in which is stored information content (M) and configured to return said information content (M) on the basis of said identification number (I) that is sent, said system also includes user means (15) to receive said information content (M) from said one or more databases (32) and send it to said user means (15, 16) to reproduce information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) .

Description

"System for exploiting information selected on the basis of the position of a user, in particular a visually impaired user, method and computer program product therefrom" * * *

TEXT QF THE DESCRIPTION Field of the invention

The present invention relates to techniques for exploiting information selected on the basis of the position of a user, in particular information to guide visually-impaired or blind users.

The invention was developed paying particular attention to its possible application to complement guiding information provided by tactile paths for visually-impaired or blind users.

For simplicity of illustration, in the remainder of this description reference will almost constantly be made to that possible field of application. It will however be appreciated that the scope of the invention is entirely general and is thus not limited to this specific application context, but also extends to exploiting information in a separate manner from the presence of tactile guide paths, as well as to the exploitation of audio information in museum and tourist contexts.

As a general introduction to the description of the known technology, of problems underlying the invention and of the solution proposed here, it would appear useful to summarise some essential characteristics of the technical sphere of which the invention forms part. Description of the known technology

In the state of the art, walking aids are known for the visually impaired that exploit the placement of tactile paths. Such paths are generally formed of appropriate tiles or made of stone-like material or granite-gres or, alternatively, may be made of rubber and applied onto the pre-existing flooring.

These tactile paths present specific areas in relief that form patterns; these patterns, which the visually-impaired user is capable of perceiving through the soles of his/her feet and by using a stick, are codified in a language known as LOGES, which can impart some simple information such as "turn right", "turn left", or "impassable boundary". These indications help the visually-impaired user to follow the route marked by the presence of the path in safety. The information carried by the tactile path is not however generally sufficient for the user to walk in an environment that he or she does not know and reach the desired goal. In the case in which, for example, the visually-impaired user is in an unknown airport, the user cannot know whether, by following a LOGES path, he or she will reach a check-in counter or a departure gate. In other words, the tactile path ensures that the user follows a safe route, but does not provide information concerning the goal that he or she will reach by following that route .

In order to enable independent walking in unknown environments, it is therefore necessary to complement the information provided by the path, providing information that enables the user to know towards which goal he or she is proceeding, and that describes the environment in an adequate manner, enabling the person to move around independently. For the purpose of complementing the information provided by the tactile path, solutions based on infrared systems are available on the market. These infrared systems provide for smart devices to be situated alongside the path, at a distance of a few metres one from the next, equipped with a microchip and an infrared communication system. On each of these devices, information is stored relating to the particular location (for example a description of the surrounding area, and indications on the direction in which the path leads) . The visually-impaired user must therefore wear a similar device, equipped with a microchip and capable of receiving information from the devices situated alongside the path. When the receiving device worn by the visually-impaired user enters the field of communication of the device alongside the path, the latter transfers the information to the receiving device, which may present that information, for example in an audio format, to the visually- impaired person. The infrared system is capable of efficiently guiding the visually-impaired user, however the system suffers from drawbacks that chiefly lie in the high costs of installation and- maintenance. The cost of installation is high due to the fact that, alongside the path, expensive devices must be installed that, being active devices, must be supplied with power through appropriate wiring. Maintenance of the system is also expensive since the devices alongside the path are vulnerable with regard to acts of vandalism, and are in any case exposed to the outdoors environment and in principle are subject to ageing.

A less expensive, but less effective, solution consists in placing Braille plates alongside the LOGES path at regular distances. Braille plates present the advantage with regard to the infrared ray devices that they do not require an electric power supply, nor any particular maintenance. These plates bear informative text written in Braille. The visually-impaired person may read this information by placing his or her hand on the plate. This solution is capable of providing less information than the previous solution, since the size of the plates must be limited. Furthermore, the system requires the person to stop periodically to access the information present on the plate through touch. Installation of the plates in an urban environment also entails some costs, since each plate must be provided with an appropriate support, to be easily accessible to a person who is standing. The plates also present the disadvantage of its not being easy to make changes, once printed, and thus should the information contained need to be modified, it is necessary to replace the plate .

Purpose of the invention and a brief description The present invention has as its purpose that of providing a solution for the exploitation of information selected on the basis of the position of a user, such as to overcome the drawbacks inherent in the solutions ^' according to the prior art which were described above. According to the present invention, this purpose is achieved thanks to what is indicated specifically in the annexed claims .

In particular, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be developed both in terms of a method and in terms of a system, and again in terms of a computer program product directly loadable into the memory of a digital computer and capable of performing the steps of a method according to the invention when the computer product is run on a digital computer. The proposed solution enables a smart path to be obtained, capable of complementing or replacing the information provided by a tactile path, through audio or multimedia messages, at low installation and maintenance cost. Brief description of the attached drawings The invention will now be described, as a simple example without limiting intent, with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

- figure 1 shows a view, in diagram form, of the system according to the invention overall,

- figures 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 show details of a tactile path capable of being used in association with the system according to the invention.

Detailed description of some embodiments of the invention

The proposed method and system are substantially based on the placement within the flooring along a predetermined route, or the insertion into a path, at regular intervals, of transponders that can be interrogated through radio frequency waves, in particular passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFlD) tags. From now on these tags will be referred to as RFID tags. In each of these RFID tags, a unique identification number (UIN) will be stored, so that the RFID tags enable each position at which they are placed to be identified, through the UIN identification number. The system also requires the user, in particular the visually-impaired person, to be provided with a probe, preferably a stick, appropriately configured to read the RFID tags. This probe thus incorporates an RFID reader and the relative aerial, such that it is capable of reading, via radio, the identification number of the RFID tags placed along the guide path. By transmitting information relating to the UIN number of the RFID tag under reading range to a remote service station, this station can know the position of the user on the path, and send information content, in the form of appropriate guide ^■ messages, to a device that can reproduce such messages. According to one embodiment, the probe, or stick, is in particular provided with a microchip connected to the RFID reader, the microchip also being fitted with a wireless interface, in particular Bluetooth, that enables communication to take place between the microchip and the user's cellular telephone. The microchip on board the probe is therefore capable of receiving from the RFID reader the UIN read from the RFID tag, and transferring this information to the telephone, through the Bluetooth connection. The cellular telephone is eguipped with appropriately developed software that communicates with the service station situated remotely, for example through a GPRS protocol on the public cellular network. In particular the software on board the telephone sends the identification number of the RFID tag currently within the reading range of the RFID reader on board the stick to the remote station.

The remote station is provided with a database that contains a list of all tags present along the path, and for each of these it contains, in text format, a specific message to aid walking. The message associated to the tag that has been read is transmitted from the remote station to the user's cellular telephone which, preferably through text-to-speech conversion software, generates a vocal message, which is sent to the user's cellular telephone, through a Bluetooth earphone to which the telephone connects. In this way the user, in particular the visually-impaired user, can receive audio messages during the route along the path, indicating the direction in which he or she is moving and the goals that may be reached.

According to a further aspect of the proposed method and system, the information that the user of the system can exploit may be of various types. The service B2006/055062

station may maintain a specific profile for each user, in which the categories of information the user is interested in are selected.

The proposed system will now be described in greater detail with reference to figure 1, which shows a diagram of the principle underlying a system for exploiting information selected on the basis of the user's position, according to the invention.

This system comprises a rubberised tactile path, indicated with reference 13, that includes inside it a transponder that can be interrogated through radio frequency waves, or an RFlD tag 12.

Reference 50 indicates a visually-impaired user who is equipped with a probe 10, in the form of a stick for the visually impaired. This probe 10 bears, at its extremity, an RFID reading device 11 including an antenna, capable of reading the content of an RFID tag 12 within a reading range 64. With regard to the RFID technology, the system uses UHF frequencies, which at present provide a longer reading range than other technologies on the market (HF and 2.4Ghz). The reading range 64 of the probe 10 being controllable by calibrating the power of the reading signal, it is possible to set the system such that, the distance between neighbouring RFID tags 12 being known, only one RFID tag 12 at a time can fall inside the reading range 64. In this way, only one identification number I is read at a time, thus the position of the user 50 on the path is identified univocally. The probe 10 also includes a microchip unit 14, to which the RFID reading device 11 is connected, for example through an RS232 serial interface. This microchip unit 14 is capable of communicating with the RFID reading device 11 and of asking it for the reading of the RFID tag 12 currently in the reading range 64 of its aerial. The microchip unit 14 is equipped with a wireless interface capable of establishing a signal connection 63 according to a Bluetooth protocol, in particular Bluetooth RFCOMM, with a cellular telephone 15 associated to the person of the user 50. This communication 63 enables a microchip unit 14 on the probe 10 to send the identification number I of the RFID tag 12 that has been read to the cellular telephone 15 of the user 50. The probe or stick 10 is also equipped with a battery necessary to supply power to the RFID reading device 11 and the microchip unit 14. The probe 10 is also equipped with a series of push-buttons, not shown in figure 1, connected to the microchip unit 14, that enable the user 15 for example to activate/deactivate reading of the RFID tags 12, or to control the level of information desired (for example to select categories of interest) .

The cellular telephone 15 is equipped to make a connection, indicated with reference 61 in figure 1, with a service station 30, situated remotely. This cellular telephone 15, as already mentioned, also includes its own Bluetooth interface, so that it can receive on the Bluetooth connection 63 from the probe 10 the identification number I of the RFID tag 12 that, at any one time, falls within the reading range 64 of the RFlD aerial 11. The cellular telephone 15 is also^' fitted with specific software procedures that enable communication on the connection 61, via GPRS protocol on the public cellular network, with the service station 30, to send the identification numbers of the RFID tags 12 it has read, and to receive from the service station 30 messages M, that is information content, for guiding purposes in the example shown, to be provided to the user 50. These messages M may be in a pre-recorded audio form or, in order to reduce the amount of data exchanged on the connection 61, in text format. In this latter case, the messages M may be transformed άnto voice messages in the cellular telephone 15 through text-to-speech conversion software. The message M, audio or generated on board the telephone 15, that is received is then sent to an earphone 16, through a respective Bluetooth connection 62. Of course, the earphone 16 may also be connected by wire and, more in general, , the audio-visual means of reproduction of the cellular telephone 15 are exploited to reproduce the messages M.

The earphone- 16 enables the user 50 of the system according to the invention to hear the vocal messages M that are sent from the service station 30 to the telephone 15, and that the telephone 15 sends to the earphone 16 through wireless Bluetooth communication on the connection 62.

The service station 30 comprises one or more servers 31 and one or more databases 32. The one or more databases 32 store tables, in which for each RFID tag 12, identified through its identification number I, information is associated relating to the specific position of the RFID tag 12, as detected and specified at the time of its installation, together with all messages associated to that specific position identified by the identification number I of the RFID tag 12. Alongside the information relating to the goal towards which the user 50 is moving, it is therefore possible to provide the user 50 with detailed information concerning the dangers present in the environment, such as for example "danger: automatic sliding door". The service station 30 may also have several categories of information associated to each RFID tag 31, for example the category "information for walking", that contains information useful to facilitate reaching a goal, or the category "information relating to danger", which contains information useful to qualify existing dangers. A category "street numbers" may for example be used to communicate to the visually-impaired subject the closest street number.

For each user, an associated profile is also stored in the database 32, which defines the type of category of information that each user is interested in and, for example in the case of geographical profiles, the categories of information that user is interested in for each geographical area. The servers 31 of the service station 30 are therefore fitted with a convenient application that for each user, known from his or her identification number that may be derived from the GPRS connection, and knowing the identification number I of ^• the RFID tag 12 within the reading range 64 of his or her stick 10, which is transmitted by the personal cellular telephone 15 again via the GPRS connection, checks the profile associated to the user and takes in consequence from the database 32 the messages M associated to the specific position of the user 50, determined by the identification number I, or UIN, of the RFID tag 12 that has been read, and pertinent to the category of interest specified in the user profile, and sends the vocal message (for example in MP3 or avi format) or the text message to the user's cellular telephone 15, again through communication over the GPRS connection 61.

The service station 30 then provides to each user 50 only the information in which he or she has indicated an interest, avoiding disturbing a user 50 with undesired messages. The profile of the user may also have a geographical connotation, that is the user may specify that he or she wants to receive more detailed information in some points (for example outside of areas known to the user) , and may indicate the desire to receive less information in other areas (for example in areas known to the user, such as those close to home) . Profiling of the geographical type is possible since the service station knows the position of the user, through the UIN number of the tag under reading range of his or her stick fitted with RFID reader, and thus, knowing the position, may select the type of information to send, according to the profile specified by the user for that specific area.

Information in the database 32, according to a further aspect of the invention, may be updated over time. It is therefore possible to adapt the messages to any changes in the route or to temporary emergencies. In other words, the database 32 contains dynamic information content.

The use of the system according to the invention, in association with a rubberised path, will now be described in detail, with reference to figures from 2 to 7.

As mentioned above, the passive RFID tags 12 may be immersed at regular intervals into rubber paths 13 configured to co-operate efficaciously with the system according to the invention. Such paths 13 are then installed by gluing them onto the pre-existing surfaces of floors or walls. The paths 13 are thus configured such as to present openings and joints, that enable the different tiles that make up the path to be precisely aligned, that is avoiding any possible discontinuity that could mislead a visually-impaired user who is following a trace of the LOGES type with his or her stick. In this connection, figure 2 shows a path 13, which is made up of two straight tiles 131 and a corner tile 132. In the junctions between the tiles 131 and 132, hollows 133 are practised in which the junction elements 160, shown more clearly in the enlargement in figure 3, are housed. Alternatively, tiles can be produced with appropriate dovetail joints, again for the purpose of ensuring proper alignment of the path during its assembly. Parts of these dovetail joints, respectively male 141 and female 142, are illustrated in figure 4, which shows the assembled path, and in figure 5, which shows an individual tile.

With regard to already-installed paths, a protective casing for the tags 12, preferably of dialectic material, is provided for. Normally, the UHF RFID tags 12 are formed of a chip of small size (lmm x lmm x 0.5mm) and of a dipolar aerial, of flat rectangular shape and dimensions approximately lcm x 8cm. For preference, the reading range is between 20 and 50cm. It is therefore possible to consider installing these tags 12, equipped with an appropriate casing, in grooves 150, that are practised in pre-existing rubber paths. These grooves may be vertical, that is the RFID tag 12 is inserted in a vertical position with regard to the plane of the path, as is shown in figure 6, or else hollows 151 may be practised in the path, the tag 12 within its protective casing may be inserted, and the tag 12 may then be covered with an appropriate cap 152, as shown in figure 7. In the case of paths formed of tiles made of gres or granite, it is on the contrary possible to insert the tag fitted with protective casing in grooves practised at the joints between two tiles. In general, insertion of the tag with its protective casing in grooves practised at the joints between tiles responds to the need to minimise the discontinuity perceived by the visually-impaired subject, thus it can also be adopted in the case of rubber tactile paths.

In general, the RFID tags 12 can be inserted in all the tiles, and only some of them may be activated, according to the requirement to provide information. In other words, an RFID tag may for example be present in each tile, with for example a spacing of 40 cm, and for communication in the proposed system only those tags 12 corresponding to turns or dangers may be activated.

Non-active tags can later be activated at need.

Thus the system and procedure described above, to advantage, make it possible to set up a smart path, capable of replacing or complementing the information of a tactile path, through audio or multimedia messages, at low installation and maintenance cost.

The use of passive transponders avoids the need to install wiring in order to supply power to the system.

Furthermore, likewise to advantage, the interface with a mobile user terminal, available on the market and very common, makes the proposed system and method particularly simple to apply.

Furthermore, to advantage, the fact that the databases containing information content are stored on remote servers enables message archives, including of large size, to be managed in a flexible manner, moreover without the need to intervene at the place where the predetermined path is situated.

Of course,, within the principle of the invention, details of construction and embodiments may be widely varied with regard to what is described and illustrated, without thereby departing from the scope of the invention. In this connection, it is again mentioned that, although for ease of illustration this description has made almost constant reference to the possible application of the invention to one context, the scope of the invention is entirely general, and thus is not limited to that specific application complex. For example, as already mentioned, although the system and method described was conceived preferentially for use as a form of help to visually- impaired or blind subjects for walking, other applications are possible, for example as an audio guide in the field of museums or tourism, or in any case as a system to distribute position-based information of a general nature. It is also clear that, whereas information in audio form, in particular vocal messages, is indicated for the use of visually-impaired subjects, it is possible in other application contexts that information be of the multimedia type, both audio and video.

It is to be observed that, when the tactile path is not required by the appliςation, such as in the case of museums or tourist guides, it is also possible ^• to install the RFID tags in various types of pre-existing structural elements associated to the route, in particular in flooring and/or walls.

It is also clear that the communication protocols described can be replaced by other protocols capable of providing the same functions in the sphere of the invention. For example, the mobile network may be of the GPRS type, but also of the GSM, 3GPP, or TAGS type, or also Wi-Fi with continual coverage, or Wi-MAX. With reference to these latter wireless systems, it is therefore clear that by the term "mobile network", any type of wireless cover is intended, not necessarily of the cellular telephone type, capable of performing the functions required for the system and method according to the invention, in particular enabling wireless connection to a remote station. The Bluetooth protocol may be replaced by other radio protocols, for example Wi-Fi, Zig-Bee, or in general short range protocols contained in the specifications of standards of the family 802 -XX, or of IRDA infrared transmissions.

Claims

1. System for exploiting information selected on the basis of the position of a user, in particular a visually-impaired user, that includes - one or more transmitting devices (12) capable of transmitting respective information (I) and arranged along a predetermined route (13),

- means (11) for receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) and user means (15,16) to reproduce information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) , characterised in that

- said transmitting devices (12) are arranged at specific positions along said predetermined route (13) and said respective information (I) includes an identification number of the transmitting device (12), - said means (11) for receiving said respective information (1) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) are associated to means (14,15) for sending said an identification number (I) to one or more databases (32) in which said information content (M) is stored and configured to return said information content (M) on the basis of said identification number (I) sent, said system also includes user means (15) to receive said information content (M) from said one or more databases (32) and send it to said user means (15,16) to reproduce information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) .

2. System according to claim 1, characterised in that said transmitting devices (12) comprise transponders that can be interrogated through radio frequency waves, in particular passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and said means (11) for receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) comprise an RFID reader configured for reading said identification number (I) via radio.

3. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said identification number (I) is a unique number associated univocally to a specific position on said predetermined route (13).

4. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said means (11) for receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) are associated to means (14,15) for sending said identification number (I) to one or more databases (32) in a user probe (10) that can be moved along said predetermined route (13) .

5. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said means (14, 15) for sending said identification number (I) to a database (32) comprise a user terminal (15) of a communications network of the mobile type (61) and that said database

(32) is included in a data processor (30) capable of exchanging data on said communications network of- the mobile type (61) .

6. System according to claim 5, characterised in that said means (14,15) for sending said identification number (I) to a database (32) comprise a microchip module (14) configured for communicating (63) in a wireless manner from said probe (10) to said user terminal (15) of a communications network of the mobile type (61), in particular for receiving and transmitting through a Bluetooth connection.

7. System according to claim 5 or claim 6, characterised in that said database (32) is configured for sending said information content (M) on said communications network of the mobile type (61) and that said user means (15) for receiving said information content (M) from said database (32) includes said user terminal (15) of a communications network of the mobile type (61) .

8. System according to claim 7, characterised in that said user means (15,16) for reproducing information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) comprise at least in part means (16) for audio-visual reproduction of said terminal (15) of a communications network of the mobile type.

9. System according to claim 8, characterised in that said means for audio-visual reproduction of said user terminal (15) of a communications network of the mobile type comprise a wireless earphone (16) .

10. System according to one or more of the above claims from 5 to 9, characterised in that said user probe (10) incorporates said user means (15) for receiving said information content (M) from said one or more databases (32) and sending it to said means (15,16) to reproduce information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) .

11. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said one or more databases (32) include stored tables, in which for each RFID tag (12) determined by means of its identification number (I) is associated information relating to the specific position of said RFID tag (12) on the predetermined route (13) and information content (M) associated to that specific position determined by the identification number (I) .

12. System according to claim 11, characterised in that said information content (M) includes information relating to the goal towards which the user (50) is moving.

13. System according to claim 11 or claim 12, characterised in that said information content (M) includes information relating to dangers present in the environment.

14. System according to claim 11, characterised in that said one or more databases (32) include several categories of information associated to each RFID tag (12) and a user profile capable of defining which category of information each user is interested in.

15. System according to claim 14, characterised in that said user profile defines, for each geographical area and for each user, the categories of information that the user is interested in.

16. System according to claim 13 or claim 14, characterised in that said processor (31) is capable of running a software procedure configured to: checking, as a function of the identity of the user and of the identification number (I) of the RFID tag (12), said user profile and in consequence taking from the database (32) information content (M) associated to the specific position of the user (50), determined by the identification number (I) of _ the RFID tag (12) that has been read, and pertinent to the categories of interest specified in said user profile, and sending said information content (M) on the mobile network (61) to the user terminal (15).

17. System according to claim 16, characterised in that said information content (M) is sent on said mobile network (61) to the user terminal (15) in text form and that said user terminal (15) is configured for generating a vocal message through a software procedures for text-to-speech conversion.

18. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said predetermined route

(13) comprises a tactile path and that said one or more devices (12) transmitting identification numbers (I) are associated to said tactile path.

19. System according to claim 18, characterised in that said one or more devices (12) transmitting respective identification numbers (I) are associated to said tactile path (13) in the form of inserts capable of being introduced into specific housings (150,151) in the tactile path (13) .

20. System according to claim 19, characterised in that said tactile path (13) comprises tiles (131,132) shaped in such a manner as to define said housings (150,151) .

21. System according to claim 20, characterised in that said housings (150,151) are defined at the joints between said tiles (131,132) .

22. System according to claim 21, characterised in that said tiles include dovetail joints (141,142) .

23. System according to claim 19, characterised in that said housings are obtained by making vertical grooves (150) and/or horizontal grooves (151) in the tiles of the route (13) .

24. System according to one or more of the claims from 5 to 23, characterised in that said probe (10) is a stick fo^'r the visually-impaired.

25. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said information content is of the multimedia type.

26. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said means of reception (11) are configured to have an adjustable reading range (64) .

27. System according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that said information content (M) is dynamic and can be updated.

28. Method to exploit information selected on the basis of the position of a user, in particular a visually-impaired user, that includes the operations of: - placing along a predetermined route (13) one or more transmitting devices (12) capable of transmitting respective information (I) , receiving said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) with regard to said predetermined route (13) and reproducing (15,16) for the user information content (M) depending on said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50), characterised in that it also includes the operations of placing said transmitting devices (12) at predetermined positions along said predetermined route (13) and including in said respective information (I) a number identifying the transmitting device (12),

- receiving (11) said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) and sending (14,15) said identification number (I) to one or more databases (32) in which information content (M) is stored, said databases (32) returning said information content (M) on the basis of said identification number (I) sent, receiving at the user (50) said information content (M) returned by said one or more databases (32) and sending it to reproduction for the user (15,16).

29. Method according to claim 28, characterised in that said operation of placing said transmitting devices (12) in predetermined positions along a predetermined route (13) and including in said respective information (I) transmitted a number identifying said transmitting device (12), includes placing transponders that can be interrogated through radio frequency waves, in particular passive RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags and that said operation of receiving (11) said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) comprise reading (11) via radio said identification number (I) of the transmitting device (12) .

30. Method according to claim 28 or claim 29, characterised in that it provides for inserting a unique identification number (I) associated univocally to a position on the route (13) in said transmitting devices ( 12) .

31. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 30, characterised in that it includes the operation of sending (14,15) said identification number (I) to said database (32) by means of a communications network of the mobile type (61) and of returning information content (M) from said database

(32) to the user by means of said communications network of the mobile type (61).

32. Method according to claim 31, characterised in that it provides for employing a user terminal (15) of said Communications network of the mobile type (61) to send said identification number (I) to the database (32) , to receive said information content (M) from said database (32) and to reproduce said information content (M) .

33. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 32, characterised in that it includes storing in said database (32) tables in which each RFID tag (12) is specified by means of its respective identification number (I) , to which information is associated relating to the specific position of said RFID tag (12) on the predetermined route (13) and the information content (M) associated to that specific position determined by the identification number (I) .

34. Method according to claim 32, characterised in that said information content (M) includes information relating to the goal towards which the user is moving.

35. Method according to claim 33 or 34, characterised in that said information content (M) includes information relating to dangers present in the environment .

36. Method according to claim 33, characterised in that it provides for storing in said database (32) several categories of information associated to each RFID tag (12) and a user profile appropriate to define which categories of information each user is interested in.

37. Method according to claim 36, characterised in that said user profile _{defines, for each geographic area and for each user, the categories of information which the user is interested in.

38. Method according to claim 33, characterised in that it includes running in said electronic computer (31) a software procedure configured to check, as a function of the identity of the user and of the identification number (I) of the RFID tag (12), the profile associated to the user and in consequence to take from the database (32) the information content (M) associated to the specific position of the user (50) , determined by the identification number (I) of the RFID tag (12) that has been read, and pertinent to the categories of interest specified in said user profile, and to send the information content (M) on the mobile network (61) to the user terminal (15).

39. Method according to one or more of the claims from 30 to 38, characterised in that it includes sending said information content (M) on the mobile network (61) in text form and subsequently generating vocal messages through software methods for text-to- speech conversion.

40. Method according to one or more of the above claims, characterised in that it provides for associating said one or more transmitting devices (12) to a tactile path (13) that defines said predetermined route.

41. Method according to claim 40, characterised in that said one or more transmitting devices (12) are inserted into said tactile path (13) in specific housings (150,151).

42. Method according to claim 41, characterised in that it provides for conforming. tiles (131,132) of said tactile path (13) in such a manner as to define said housings (150,51).

43. Method according to claim ^'41, characterised in that it includes making vertical (150) and/or horizontal grooves (151) in said tiles (131,132) of the path (13) to obtain said housings (150,151).

44. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 43, characterised in that said one or more transmitting devices (12) are inserted in preexisting structural elements associated to the route, in particular floorings and/or walls.

45. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 44, characterised in that it includes incorporating said probe (10) in a stick for the visually impaired.

46. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 45, characterised in that it includes inserting into said information content (M) multimedia information including audio and/or video information.

47. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 46, characterised in that said operation of receiving (11) said respective information (I) selected on the basis of the position of a user (50) entails adjusting a reading range (64) .

48. Method according to one or more of the above claims from 28 to 47, characterised in that it includes the operation of updating said information content (M) dynamically.

49. Computer programme product that can be loaded directly into the memory of a digital computer and including portions of software code to actuate the phases of the method according to the claims from 28 to 48.