Siemens Technology-to-Business Center, LLC

Ingmar Patrick Hofmann

A low-cost guidance system for guiding a user to a selected one of multiple locations in a defined area. The system includes a portable device per user and multiple indicators. The portable device includes an infrared transceiver and an input to receive information corresponding to a selected location in the defined area. An indicator includes an indicator infrared transceiver, direction signs, and directional information corresponding to the relative direction in a path from the indicator to each of the locations. The portable device directly communicates the information corresponding to the selected location via the device infrared transceiver to the indicator infrared transceiver of the indicator to cause the indicator to access the directional information and activate the appropriate direction sign to guide the user toward the selected location. Thus, the low cost, easy-to-use system helps people find their way around big public or private places including trade shows, warehouses, airports, libraries, museums, and shopping malls.

Growing community of inventors

Berkeley, CA, United States of America

Ingmar Patrick Hofmann