DE10042432A1 - Electronic tour guide device incorporates geographic position location system for selection of relevant tour information - Google Patents

Abstract

The tour guide device is provided as a hand-held electronic device (F) with an integrated location system, e.g. a GPS receiver, for determining the actual geographic location and a control device, used for extracting relevant guide information from a memory (1), in dependence on the detected geographic location. The memory may be provided as an interchangeable data carrier storing information for one or more tours.

Description

The present invention relates to a device according to the Preamble of claim 1, d. H. a leader with Tour suggestions especially for hiking tours, bicycles tours, ski tours, boat trips, flights, etc.

Such leaders are usually more or less large Books.

Books guides are generally a good one Tools for the selection of tours, but are for the Taking along and using the tours themselves less well suitable.

If there is a need for the guide during a tour In general, to take advice, you have to interrupt the tour, unpack the guide, the description of the just completed search for a guided tour, and only then - often under additional use of other tools such as a hiking map - to the desired information long. Then the guide must be stowed away again, and only then can the tour be continued.

Experience shows that this is time consuming and cumbersome is. The result is often that you prefer to focus on your own Memories or his feelings rather than going through one Look up in the guide for certainty about the question raised To provide. This often leads to missing parts divorces, for example, that one from touring proposes a different path.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to create a guide for tour suggestions that makes it possible  light, on tours quick and easy Answers to be there to get questions that arise.

This object is achieved by the patent Claim 1 claimed leaders solved.

The guide according to the invention is characterized in that it has an electronic device with

• - A location system to determine the current len location,
• - Information on one or more tour suggestions gene storing storage device and
• - A control device, which depends on the by the Location determination system determined the location in the Storage device stored information and / or outputs information obtained from it, is formed.

Because the device "only" must be able to store and display information about one or more predefined tours,

• - Can a storage device with low storage capacity activity,
• - Who can keep the number of controls low the,
• - there are no high performance requirements device and
• - The device has a relatively low energy requirement.

The device can be built so small that it can be easily accommodated in pockets of clothing or on clothing, or on the respective tour  carried objects (for example on hiking or Ski poles or on the bicycle handlebar) can be attached. It can therefore be taken anywhere and at any time hand.

This allows the user of the device to rev up at any time quick and easy answers to questions that arise receive.

Advantageous developments of the invention are the sub claims, the following description, and the figure ent nehmbar.

The invention is based on an embodiment exemplified with reference to the figure.

The figure shows the view of an embodiment of the following described guide.

The guide described is as a guide for hiking, driving bike tours, ski tours, boat trips, flights and all others Opportunities to use where information about the Course and special features of certain tours required or are helpful.

The leader considered here is in contrast to her conventional guides of the type under consideration an electronic one Device.

This electronic device is a mobile device that is based on Tours can be taken. I.e. it is battery powered and preferably so small and light that Klei pieces, on hiking or ski poles, on the handlebars, or other objects that you can find in the respective Tou leads with it, can be attached.

The guide (labeled F in the figure) contains

• - A positioning system, not shown in the figure to determine the current location,
• a storage device 1 storing information on one or more tour suggestions,
• a display device 2 formed , for example, by an LCD display,
• - controls 3 ,
• - A control device, also not shown in the figure, which, depending on the location determined by the location determination system and / or depending on the inputs made via the control elements 3 by the user, stores the information stored in the storage device and / or information derived therefrom the display device 2 for display, and
• an antenna 4 .

The location determination system consists of the considered case game from a GPS receiver that transmits the signals from minde at least two satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) receives and from it the current location, more precisely data representing the current location (e.g. the longitude and latitude of the current location) er averages. GPS receivers have long been in a variety of Embodiments are known and do not require any further explanation esterification. When the GPS receiver signals at least three satellites can receive even the height of the satellite current whereabouts are determined, in particular for hikes, bike tours, and ski tours in the mountains as well of great interest for flights.

In the example considered, the memory device 1 is an exchangeable data carrier and in the present case is formed by a memory card, ie a chip card containing memory modules (semiconductor memory). Such memory cards are available in a wide variety of sizes and designs. For the sake of completeness, it should be pointed out that the exchangeable data carrier can also be formed by other storage devices, for example by a floppy disk or by a CD.

It can prove to be advantageous if the storage device 1 is a rewritable or programmable storage device. Then the user can copy the tours of interest from any data carrier to the storage device used by the device under consideration.

Data representing the course of a proposed tour, for example data specifying the course of the tour (for example the longitude and latitude of points to be passed) are stored in the storage device 1 .

It proves to be advantageous if additional information such as, for example, is stored in the storage device 1

• - a description of the course of the tour,
• - the height profile of the tour,
• - the location of crossroads or crossroads,
• - the course of in the vicinity of the tour proposal paths, roads, etc. (preferably only from those in the vicinity of the tour suggestion paths, roads, etc.),
• - The location of prominent locations suitable for orientation (for example the location of a Ka on the way pelle, or the location of a nearby remote sehturms)  
• - the location of or on the path Refreshments and possibly further information on this (for example information about rest days, specia qualities or prices),
• - the location of or on the path Accommodation options and possibly further information for this purpose (for example information about the rooms or prices),
• - the location of or on the path Attractions and possibly further information about this (for example, interesting facts about history),
• - warnings of dangers and / or
• - important phone number

are saved.

As already mentioned above, this information and / or information derived therefrom is displayed by the control device depending on the location determined by the location determination system and / or depending on the inputs made by the control elements 3 of the user on the display device 2 ,

On the display device 2 can

• - graphic representations (for example the graphic representation Position of the tour including fork in the road and the location of the striking ones that help with orientation Places, sights, places to stop and about night options, or the height profile of the tour), and  
• - alphanumeric characters (e.g. directions, possible excursions to sights, viewpoints Etc.)

are displayed.

In addition to the optical display of the information on the display device 2 , a device for emitting acoustic signals or messages can be provided in the device. Because of it is possible, for example, to inform the user of the device by emitting a warning signal or a warning message that he has left the proposed route. This proves to be advantageous because the user of the device will generally hardly continuously check whether he is still on the proposed route, and because the device can then be accommodated in poorly accessible places (for example in a backpack).

It can also be advantageous if the device looks for automatically or at a predetermined time Appropriate input by the user in an energy-saving mode kind of offset. In such an energy saving mode could for example the display can be switched off and / or a less frequent location determination. because the device uses less energy and can be used with small batteries, which makes it even smaller can be than it already is.

It could also be provided that the device's history a tour recorded during the ascent. Thereby the user of the device can make tour suggestions himself and pass it on.

In addition, additional functions can be provided such as a radio part for placing emergency calls in the device to integrate.  

Conversely, the device described can also be used in other devices, For example, inte in a cell phone or in a wristwatch be grated.

It should be clear that the device described can be modified in many ways. Possible modifications are

• - That the positioning system is different than by one GPS receiver is realized (for example by a Mobile phone: the transmitting and receiving stations of the mobile radio networks can determine the position of a cell phone and this - e.g. B. via SMS - transferred to the cell phone),
• - That the storage device by a fixed inte in the device free storage device, for example by a (preferably reprogrammable non-volatile) half conductor memory or formed by a small hard disk becomes,
• - That the device has only a single control element 3 (for switching the device on and off and possibly additional Lich for changing the operating mode),
• - That the antenna 4 is placed within the device housing, and / or
• - That the display device 2 and possibly also an individual, several or all controls 3 are formed by a separate item that can be worn for example like a wristwatch on the arm and is connected to the control device via a radio link.

The device described enables it regardless of Details of the practical realization that the device  user on tours at any time quickly and easily Can get answers to questions that arise.  

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

F leader

1

memory device

2

display device

3

controls

4

antenna

Claims (7)

1. Guide with tour suggestions especially for hiking tours, bike tours, ski tours, boat trips, flights, etc., characterized in that the guide with an electronic device (F) with
a location determination system for determining the current location,
a storage device ( 1 ) storing information relating to one or more tour suggestions, and
a control device which, depending on the location determined by the location determination system, outputs the information stored in and / or information derived from the storage device,
is formed. 2. Leader according to claim 1, characterized in that the Positioning system formed by a GPS receiver becomes. 3. Guide according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the storage device ( 1 ) is an interchangeable data carrier. 4. Guide according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the memory device ( 1 ) is a rewritable or reprogrammable memory device. 5. Guide according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the storage device ( 1 ) only information for one or more selected tours are saved. 6. Leader according to one of the preceding claims, thereby characterized in that the electronic device (F) battery is operated.   7. Leader according to one of the preceding claims, thereby characterized in that the electronic device (F) is a portable Device is.