JP2001351191A - Walk supporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To support the walk of a target person having conditions that walk is disadvantageous compared with an able-bodied person in a wide block. SOLUTION: Identification information automatically transmitted from a compact information terminal 1 of a target person who is walking is received by a radio maker 2b or the like, and transmitted to a support server 4. Then, variable information such as road constructions or various events which are being performed near the present position of the target person, passage restrictions or matters to be attended to due to this, and danger warning is transmitted from the support server 4, and this variable information is outputted as voice or characters or the like by the voice outputting part or display part of the compact information terminal 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is intended for persons who are disadvantageous for walking to healthy persons, such as visually impaired persons, people with low vision, hearing impaired persons, wheelchair users and elderly persons. The present invention relates to a walking support system for supporting a person to walk safely.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, as a system for assisting walking, a system called a "visually impaired person guiding system" has been put to practical use for visually impaired persons, visually impaired persons, and the like. In this system, an induction block containing a metal such as ferrite is embedded in the road at predetermined intervals, a magnetic sensor and a vibrator are built in a white cane for visually impaired and low vision people, and built in the white cane during walking When the magnetic sensor detects the guide block, the vibrator vibrates, and the visually impaired or the visually impaired are guided along the guide block by this vibration, and safe walking is ensured.

[0003] In addition, a small transmitter is built in a white cane of a visually impaired person or a low-vision person, and a sensor and a speaker are arranged at a railway station or a public facility and in the vicinity thereof. There is also used a system in which when a signal is detected by a sensor, information such as a current position, guidance, and a warning is output from a speaker or the like. Also, in particular, pedestrian crossings, underground malls,
In a dangerous place such as a staircase, a system that detects a pedestrian approaching the dangerous place by using an entry sensor or the like and issues a warning to the pedestrian to call attention is also used.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following problems. That is, the conventional system is installed only in a limited area such as around a main public facility, around a railway station, around a large store or a famous shopping street, and the range of use is narrow. At present, only limited information such as danger warnings can be provided.

[0005] Further, the conventional system is basically installed in an independent form in each area and is a stand-alone system that is not connected to public institutions, institutions, management centers, and the like, so its effectiveness is low. Stays on. On the other hand, people who have some disadvantageous conditions in walking on the road are not limited to visually impaired and low-vision people, but also hearing impaired, disabled people such as wheelchair users, and elderly people. Although it can be said that traffic is vulnerable, most of the conventional walking support is for visually impaired people, and there is no system to support walking for all vulnerable people. It is considered high.

[0006] Therefore, there is a demand for a system that is effective for general vulnerable to traffic from the viewpoint of the future and that can provide more detailed walking support. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a walking support system that can meet the above-mentioned demand.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, a walking support system according to the present invention comprises a small information terminal which is carried when a walking support subject having a disadvantageous condition for walking to a healthy person walks. A support server installed at a pedestrian support area information center that has jurisdiction over the area, registered with the identification information of a small information terminal carried by the subject in the jurisdiction area, connected to the support server via a communication network, and And radio transmission / reception means installed in facilities that are frequently used by local residents and are installed at intervals at high places on the road,
When the radio wave transmitting and receiving means receives the identification information automatically transmitted as radio waves from the small information terminal of the walking subject and transmits the identification information to the support server, the support server transmits the identification information to the subject. The current position of the small information terminal is identified by the identification information via the radio wave transmitting / receiving means, and a call signal is sent to the small information terminal. And variable information such as traffic restrictions and cautions, danger warnings, etc., which are performed at the road construction or various events that are performed in the small information terminal. And the like.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a walking support system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a small information terminal that can be carried by a walking support subject who has a disadvantageous condition for walking for a visually impaired person, a visually impaired person, a hearing impaired person, a wheelchair user, and an elderly person.

The small information terminal 1 includes a mobile phone (including a PHS), a pager, an electronic organizer, a GPS terminal,
The use of other mobile devices is conceivable, and a function to automatically send out identification information such as a telephone number that can identify the target person to carry, and a speaker that receives information such as voice, text, and images And a function that can be output by a display unit.

Reference numerals 2a and 2b denote radio wave markers. The radio wave marker 2a is of an independent type, receives information automatically transmitted from the small information terminal 1, and sends the current position (address) to the small information terminal 1. Etc.), and information such as danger spots such as stairs and pedestrian crossings existing around the current position, detours to avoid the danger spots, etc., are transmitted as fixed information and automatically output from the small information terminal 1. Used as walking information providing means.

The radio wave marker 2b is of a connection type. A plurality of the radio markers 2b are connected as a block to a support server of a walking support area information center, which will be described later, via the communication network 3 in block units. Radio wave communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the terminal 1 by radio wave communication. The radio markers 2a and 2b use a large number of lane markers installed at regular intervals on a road by the national or local governments as communication infrastructure for guiding the vehicle to travel automatically.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a support server provided at a walking support area information center installed in each fixed area. In the support server 4, identification information of the small information terminal 1 previously applied for by a walking support target person is registered. ing. In addition, the operator of the walking support area information center collects various information on roads and information on various events such as festivals and bazaars held in the region from public institutions related to road management and traffic management by the support server 4, On the basis of the information, the support server 4 performs road works or various events performed around the current position of the target person on the small information terminal 1 via the radio wave marker 2b, etc. It functions to transmit variable information such as matters and danger warnings.

Of course, the above-mentioned fixed information can also be transmitted.
Further, the support server 4 plays a role of creating a walking history of the subject based on the identification information from the small information terminal 1 sent from the radio wave marker 2b or the like. Reference numeral 5 denotes a pedestrian support integration center. The support server 4 of each pedestrian support area information center is connected to a host computer (upper device) (not shown) installed in the pedestrian support integration center 5,
The information and identification information collected by each support server 4 are sent to this host computer, and various instructions and necessary information are sent from the host computer to each support server 4 as needed. .

Reference numeral 6 denotes a beacon (including an antenna) installed by the national government or local government to provide various road information to vehicles traveling on the road.
Are mounted by using electric poles and poles provided on the roadside or the like, and are used as radio wave communication means for transmitting and receiving information to and from the small information terminal 1 by radio wave communication. Reference numeral 7 denotes a base terminal connected to the support server 4 via the communication network 3, and is installed at a place where local residents use frequently, such as a railway station, a bus terminal, and a parking lot.

The base terminal 7 is installed by a local government or the like in order to provide information such as the current position, a peripheral map, peripheral facilities, and the congestion status of peripheral roads for local residents and travelers. It has a function of transmitting and receiving information to and from the small information terminal 1 by radio wave communication, and is used as a radio wave communication means like the radio wave marker 2b and the beacon 6.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a surveillance camera fixed to a utility pole, pole, or the like provided along the road, which is installed by a local government or the like in the same manner as the base terminal 7 or the like. The surveillance camera 8 is connected to the support server 4 and a monitor (not shown) via the communication network 3, and images taken by the surveillance camera 8 are sequentially sent to the support server 4 and the monitor.
On the monitor or the monitor.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a general information terminal such as a personal computer used in a general home. The general information terminal 9 is also connected to the support server 4 via the communication network 3 so that information can be communicated with each other. . Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. First, the subject of walking support carries the small information terminal 1 when going out of the house.

At this time, the power of the small information terminal 1 is turned on. As a result, the small information terminal 1 carried by the subject during walking automatically transmits identification information such as a telephone number periodically. Stand-alone radio wave marker 2a installed on the road
Upon receiving the identification information transmitted from the small information terminal 1 of the target person, the information on the current position, the danger points such as stairs and pedestrian crossings existing around the current position, and the information on the detour to avoid the danger points is fixed information. The fixed information is transmitted to the small information terminal 1 so that the fixed information is output from an audio output unit (such as a speaker) of the small information terminal 1 and the fixed information is displayed on the display unit.

Therefore, when the target person is a visually impaired person or a visually impaired person, the sound is used. When the target person is a hearing impaired person, the danger of the current position or stairs or pedestrian crossings existing around the current position is expressed by characters or illustrations. The location can be recognized. If the target is a disabled person, such as a wheelchair user, or the elderly, use voice, text, illustrations, etc. to recognize the current location or dangerous places such as stairs and pedestrian crossings near the current location. Can be done.

On the other hand, when the connection type radio wave marker 2b receives the identification information transmitted from the small information terminal 1 of the subject, the information is transmitted to the support server 4 of the walking support area information center via the communication network 3. Send. The support server 4 identifies the subject by comparing the transmitted identification information with the registered identification information, identifies the radio wave marker 2b that has transmitted this information, and identifies the identified radio wave marker 2b. The current position of the target person is recognized from the installation position of the target person 2b, stored in predetermined storage means as walking history information of the target person, and a call signal is transmitted to the small information terminal 1 via the radio wave marker 2b.

From this, when the target person carrying the small information terminal 1 presses a predetermined key such as a telephone call to connect to the support server 4, road construction or an event performed around the current position, Traffic restrictions and notes,
Variable information such as a danger warning is transmitted to the small information terminal 1, and the variable information is output from the audio output unit (such as a speaker) of the small information terminal 1 and simultaneously displayed on the display unit.

Therefore, when the target person is a visually impaired person, it is possible to recognize a state on a road to be walked or a dangerous event based on the variable information by voice or by text or illustration when the target person is a hearing impaired person. become. In addition, when the target person is a disabled person such as a wheelchair user or an elderly person, the variable information can be similarly known both by voice, text, illustration, etc., and the dangerous place and the dangerous event can be similarly recognized. Become.

At this time, it is of course possible to send the fixed information from the support server 4. The beacon 6 and the base terminal 7 operate in the same manner as the radio wave marker 2b. The walking history information stored in the support server 4 is sent to the host computer of the pedestrian support integration center, and the host computer converts the walking history information sent from the support server 4 of each walking support area information center into a database.

The radio wave marker 2b and the beacon 6
When the identification information transmitted from the base terminal 7 to the support server 4 is compared with the registered identification information, there is a case where there is no matching information. This is a phenomenon that occurs when the subject moves from the jurisdiction of the walking support area information center in which the identification information is registered to another walking support area information center.

In this case, the identification information and the position information of the target person are sent from the support server 4 to the host computer of the pedestrian support integration center, the host computer checks the identification information, and the corresponding identification information is Returned to the support server 4, the support server 4 transmits the variable information to the small information terminal 1 in the same manner as described above. The position information of the subject at this time is also added to the database as a walking history by the host computer.

The images captured by the surveillance camera 8 are sequentially transmitted via the communication network 3 to the support server 4 of the walking support area information center.
And is displayed on the display of the support server 4 or another monitor. Then, when the target of the walking support enters the shooting range of the monitoring camera 8 confirmed by the identification information from the radio wave marker 2b or the like, the operator of the walking support area information center observes the target, and If a physical abnormality such as sudden illness or seizure of the subject is confirmed, or if a disaster such as fighting or extortion is encountered,
The operator notifies the nearest public institution, such as a police station, a fire department, or a hospital, through the support server 4 and requests appropriate measures.

Further, since the position of the subject can be specified by the radio wave marker 2b or the like, for example, when the current position is a bus terminal or the like, the operator contacts the bus company through the support server 4 and stays at the bus terminal or the like. The staff instructs you to walk or get on and off or get along. Further, for example, the family of the subject having a wandering habit can use the information terminal 9 at home to send the support server 4 of the walking support area information center.
When the search request is transmitted together with the identification information to the operator, the operator searches for the latest walking history information of the corresponding subject, returns the current position based on the walking history information to the information terminal 7, and also sets the radio wave marker 2b, the beacon 6, or the base. It waits for new current position information from the terminal 7 and returns it to the base terminal 7.

In addition, the operator notifies the police server near the current position of the target person by the support server 4 to request protection of the target person. Further, if the target person to be searched moves to the jurisdiction of another walking support area information center and the current position of the target person cannot be confirmed by the support server 4 that has received the search request, the identification of the target person is performed from the support server 4. The information and the search request are sent to the host computer of the integrated pedestrian support center.

Thus, the host computer retrieves the walking history of the subject from the identification information, predicts to which region the subject is moving from the retrieved walking history, and a walking support area information center that controls the predicted area. Support server 4
To search for the subject. This request is made not only to one place but also to the support server 4 of the walking support area information center at a plurality of places in some cases.

When the current position of the subject is confirmed, the current position information is sent from the confirmed support server 4 to the host computer of the pedestrian support integration center, and the current position information is further included in the walking information for which the search request has been received. The information is transferred to the support server 4 of the support area information center, and then sent to the general information terminal 9 of the search requester.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the identification information automatically transmitted as a radio wave from the small information terminal of the walking subject is received by the radio wave transmitting / receiving means and transmitted to the support server, the support server The current position of the subject is specified from the radio wave transmitting / receiving means that transmitted the identification information, and a call signal is sent to the small information terminal by the identification information via the radio wave transmitting / receiving means, and the small information terminal sends the support information to the support server. When connected, the support server transmits variable information such as road construction or various events performed around the current location, traffic restrictions, cautions, and danger warnings, and transmits the variable information to the small information. The voice output unit and the display unit of the terminal output the voice and characters.

In the present invention as described above, since the infrastructure installed on the road by the national or local government can be used as the radio wave transmitting / receiving means, it is possible to support walking in a wide area. On the other hand, road construction or various events performed around the current location,
As a result, it is possible to provide sufficient information for ensuring walking safety such as traffic restrictions and cautions.

Further, since the walking support of the subject can be performed in a wide area as described above, the effect that the effectiveness is remarkably improved as compared with the related art can be obtained.
In addition, not only visually impaired persons and people with low vision but also hearing impaired persons, wheelchair users, elderly persons, and other persons who have disadvantageous conditions for walking with respect to healthy persons are considered as persons to be assisted in walking. The effect that the safety of walking can be achieved is also obtained.

Further, a surveillance camera provided as an infrastructure can be used, and by transmitting an image of the surveillance camera to the pedestrian support area information center, the condition of the target person can be monitored by the operator. In addition, even when an abnormality or the like occurs in the target person, the effect can be obtained by notifying the concerned organization and promptly responding. Furthermore, a support server of a plurality of pedestrian support area information centers is connected to a host device installed in the pedestrian support integration center, and a walking history of a target person created by each support server is stored in the host device of the pedestrian support integration center. When a search request is sent from the subject's family, a higher-level device of the pedestrian support integrated center predicts the movement position from the walking history and can quickly search. The effect is also obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Small information terminal 2a, 2b Radio wave marker 3 Communication network 4 Support server 5 Pedestrian support integrated center 6 Beacon 8 Surveillance camera 9 Information terminal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08G 1/00 G08G 1/00 X 1/09 1/09 F // A61H 3/00 A61H 3/00 Z F-term (reference) 5C087 AA02 AA03 AA10 AA24 AA37 AA44 BB12 BB18 BB46 BB64 BB73 BB74 DD03 DD31 EE05 EE15 EE18 FF01 FF02 FF04 FF17 FF19 FF20 FF23 GG02 GG12 GG28 FF25 GG04 GG67 GG04 A

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A small information terminal carried when a subject of walking support having a disadvantageous condition for walking with respect to a healthy person walks, and a pedestrian support area information center installed in a pedestrian support area information center in a certain area, A support server that registers the identification information of the small information terminal carried by the subject in the jurisdiction, connected to this support server via a communication network, and installed at intervals on roads and high places on roads And a radio transmission / reception means provided in a facility or the like that is frequently used by local residents. The radio transmission / reception means receives the identification information automatically transmitted as radio waves from the small information terminal of the walking subject, and When transmitted to the server, the support server identifies the current position of the subject from the radio wave transmitting / receiving means that has transmitted the identification information, and the small information terminal is identified by the identification information via the radio wave transmitting / receiving means. When a call signal is sent and the small information terminal is connected to the support server, road support or various events that are being performed around the current location from the support server, traffic restrictions and cautions, danger warnings, etc. A walking support system, wherein variable information is transmitted, and the variable information is output as a voice, a character, or the like to a voice output unit or a display unit of the small information terminal. 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for providing walking information provided on a road, wherein said means for providing walking information transmits identification information automatically transmitted as radio waves from a small information terminal of a walking person. Upon receipt,
Information such as the current position and the danger point around the current position, a detour to avoid the danger point, etc. is automatically transmitted as fixed information to the small information terminal, and the information is output to the audio output unit or display of the small information terminal. A walking support system characterized by causing a section to output voices, characters, and the like. 3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a surveillance camera connected to a support server or a monitor installed in a regional center via a communication network, wherein a current position is specified by the support server and photographed by the surveillance camera. The image of the target person is displayed on the display unit or the monitor of the support server and is monitored by the operator, and from the image, a physical abnormality such as a disease occurs in the target person,
When you confirm that you have encountered a disaster involving the human body directly,
A walking support system, wherein a notification is sent from the support server to a facility such as a public institution that addresses the problem. 4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a host device installed in a pedestrian support integration center, connecting a support server of a plurality of pedestrian support area information centers to the host device, and further including a pedestrian support area information. When the identification information registered in the support server of the center is registered, and the identification information of the small information terminal transmitted from the radio wave transmitting / receiving unit to the support server does not correspond to the identification information registered in the support server, the identification information is registered. The identification information is transmitted to the higher-level device, and is compared with the identification information registered in the higher-level device. If the corresponding identification information exists, the information on the current position and the target person are sent from the support server to the small information terminal. Information such as danger spots and danger notices to allow the user to walk safely, and the information is sent to the audio output unit or display unit of the small information terminal by voice or text. Walking support system, characterized in that to and output. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the support server of each pedestrian support area information center creates a walking history of the target person in the support server of each pedestrian support area information center, and is sent from the support server of each pedestrian support area information center by the host device. When a search request is transmitted to the support server of the pedestrian support area information center together with the identification information of the small information terminal of the target by the general information terminal of the target person's family, The support server confirms the current position of the subject with the identification information sent from the radio wave transmitting / receiving means, notifies the general information terminal of the current position of the subject with the support server, and If the current position of the subject cannot be confirmed, the support server transmits the identification information and the search request to the host device, and the host device predicts the moving area from the walking history of the subject. To walking support system, characterized in that to determine the current position of the subject by sending search request and the identification information to the support server pedestrian support regional information center which corresponds to the prediction result.