JP2006011600A - White walking stick sensor and pedestrian supporting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To guide a visually impaired person by detecting a white walking stick by identifying the white walking stick owned by the visually impaired person from another object. <P>SOLUTION: A white walking stick sensor 2 of a pedestrian supporting device 1 emitts infrared rays to a plurality of emitting range 25 near a zebra crossing 71 by a light emitter 21 having three light sources 24, receives reflected rays of light from each irradiation range 25 by a light receiver 22, and compares reflected light strength from each emitting range 25 by a detecting part 23 to detect the presence of a white walking stick 76. A control unit 3 receives the input of a white walking stick detection signal from a detecting part 23 of the white walking stick sensor 2, and receives the input of the lighting color information of a signal for pedestrian from a traffic signal control unit 5, and starts acoustic output from a speaker 4 when a white walking stick detection signal is inputted. When the white walking stick detection signal is inputted, the control unit 3 outputs a blue signal extension request signal to the traffic signal control unit 5, and outputs an acoustic signal ringing request signal to a traffic signal adding device 6 for acoustic visually impaired person. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a white cane sensor that detects a white cane possessed by a visually impaired person and a pedestrian support device that detects a white cane and starts guidance for the visually impaired person.

  A visually impaired person generally recognizes a boundary between a sidewalk and a roadway, a pedestrian crossing, a staircase, a platform boundary, and the like by walking along a guidance block provided on a road surface. At the pedestrian crossing, in order to support the walking of visually impaired people, the stop position of the pedestrian crossing is indicated by a guidance block, and a sound is guided during the green light.

  In addition, on the platform of the station, a guidance block is installed along the track so that a visually impaired person can safely walk and prevent falling on the track. Guide blocks are not always easily recognizable, and you may be wondering whether to move left or right, such as when you are detouring to avoid obstacles such as pillars. May fall from the platform to the track, and voice guidance is required.

  However, when sound guidance is constantly flowing at a pedestrian crossing or a station, a plurality of guidance may be mixed and necessary information cannot be obtained, or this may be felt as noise. Therefore, it is required to detect the presence of a visually impaired person at a place where guidance is required and to start appropriate guidance when a visually impaired person is detected.

  For example, a push button box for vulnerable people is installed at a pedestrian crossing, and there is a method to sound a voice guidance only when a push button is pressed or a transmitter carried by a visually impaired person is detected. . When using a push button box for weak traffic people, there is a problem that a visually impaired person cannot recognize the position of the push button or needs to carry a transmitter, increasing physical burden.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a visually impaired person who senses the direction of a road, the boundary of a home, and the like by detecting and notifying a detection body provided on a white cane held by a visually impaired person using a notification means provided on a road surface. Induction devices have been proposed. In the guidance device of Patent Document 1, it is necessary to dig up the road surface at the time of installation or failure, and the guidance device embedded in the road surface may interfere with other constructions.

  In Patent Document 2, image processing for recognizing a white cane is performed on image data obtained by photographing a pedestrian, and a support process set in advance for a pedestrian only when the white cane is recognized by image processing. A visually handicapped person support method and a visually handicapped person recognition system for executing the above have been proposed. The visually impaired person support method and the visually impaired person recognition system disclosed in Patent Document 2 require image processing, and thus the function is complicated.

Patent Document 3 includes a light emitting unit that divides the vicinity of the entrance of the traffic region into a plurality of divided regions in the width direction, and irradiates light for each divided region, and a light receiving unit that receives the light emitted by the light emitting unit. A visually impaired person guidance device has been proposed that detects the presence or absence of a visually impaired person by partition area based on the presence or absence of reflected light from a reflector of the visually impaired person. Since the visually impaired person guidance apparatus of patent document 3 detects the presence or absence of reflected light independently for every division area, there exists a problem of having a visually handicapped person accidentally by reflected light other than a reflector.
JP 2000-175957 A JP 2003-168110 A JP 2004-133701 A

  The present invention provides a white cane sensor that can detect a white cane by detecting the white cane of a visually impaired person from other objects, and a pedestrian support device that detects a visually impaired person using the white cane sensor and starts guidance. The purpose is to provide.

  The white cane sensor of the present invention includes a light emitter, a light receiver, and a detector, the light emitter irradiates at least three irradiation ranges that cross the guide direction of the guide block, and the light receiver is a light emitter. The reflected light of the irradiated light is received, and the detection unit classifies the reflected light for each irradiation range into a reception level of high level, medium level, and low level divided by the reflected light intensity, and at least one If the irradiation range is low and none of the irradiation ranges are high, it is determined that a white cane is not detected and only one irradiation range is high or two irradiation ranges are high. If the other irradiation range is at a low level, it is determined that a white cane has been detected, and in other cases, the determination is suspended.

  Further, the detection unit assigns a value 3 to the irradiation range determined to be a high level, assigns a value 2 to the irradiation range determined to be a medium level, assigns a value 1 to the irradiation range determined to be a low level, and performs all irradiation. A determination value obtained by integrating the values assigned to the range is obtained, and the determination may be performed according to the determination condition that defines the correspondence between the determination value and the determination content.

  Furthermore, the light emitter may emit light before the stop position of the guide block. The light emitter may irradiate light before the corner of the guide block.

  Moreover, the pedestrian assistance apparatus of this invention is provided with one of the above-mentioned white cane sensors, and when the white cane is detected by the white cane sensor, it starts guidance for the visually impaired.

  According to this white cane sensor, the white cane of the visually handicapped person can be identified and detected from other objects. Moreover, according to this pedestrian assistance apparatus, the white cane which a visually handicapped person has can be identified and detected from another object, and guidance can be started.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pedestrian support apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment includes a white cane sensor 2, a controller 3, and a speaker 4, and the controller 3 is a traffic signal controller 5 and an acoustic visual obstacle. It connects with the traffic signal addition apparatus 6 for people.

  The white cane sensor 2 includes a light emitter 21, a light receiver 22, and a detection unit 23, and as shown in a plan view of the vicinity of the pedestrian crossing in FIG. The light emitting device 21 attached to the column 73 of the signal lamp 72 and having the three light sources 24 emits infrared rays to the irradiation range 25 that crosses the guide direction of the guide block 75 in front of the stop position 74 of the pedestrian crossing 71. The reflected light from each irradiation range 25 is received by the light receiver 22.

  The visually handicapped person uses a white cane 76 as shown in FIG. 3 when walking, and a reflective tape 78 defined in JIS Z 9117 is wound around the grip 77 of the white cane 76. Since the visually handicapped person walks on the guide block 75 with the white cane 76 at a substantially constant height, the reflective tape 78 passes near the guide block 75 in front of the pedestrian crossing 71 as shown in FIG. 2 (b). It is possible to detect the white cane accurately and safely by irradiating infrared rays with the irradiation ranges 25 adjacent to each other so as to cross the walking direction of the visually impaired. Can guide visually impaired people.

  Since light irradiating a person, the ground or other objects is diffusely reflected in a direction different from the incident direction, the light reflected in the direction of the light source 24 is relatively weak. On the other hand, when light is applied to the reflective tape 78 wound around the white cane 76 used by the visually impaired person, the light is reflected relatively strongly in the direction of the light source 24. Note that light irradiated on the bicycle or the like is also reflected relatively strongly in the direction of the light source 24.

  The detection unit 23 detects the presence or absence of the white cane 76 by comparing the reflected light intensities from the three irradiation ranges 25, and outputs a white cane detection signal when the presence of the white cane is detected.

  The detector 23 sequentially turns on the light source 24a, the light source 24b, and the light source 24c at the timing as shown in FIG. 4A, and continuously measures with the light receiver 22 as shown in FIG. 4B. From the reflected light intensity, the reflected light intensity from the reflection range 25 of each light source 24 is extracted in synchronization with the lighting of the light source 24, and is divided into a high level (= level A) and a medium level (higher level). = Level B) or low level (= level C).

  The detection unit 23 has a sensing flag for each irradiation range 25, and sets each of the value 3, value 2, and value 1 corresponding to each of level A, level B, and level C to each sensing flag, and three irradiation ranges. A judgment value is obtained by multiplying all the detection flag values for every 25, and according to the judgment condition 26 as shown in the example of FIG. 5, the white cane detection corresponding to the case where the white cane is present, and the case where the white cane 76 is not present. There is a possibility that the white cane is not detected and the white cane is not 76, and one of the holdings for maintaining the previous determination is determined.

  When the reflected light intensity of each irradiation range 25 is weak as a whole, for example, when all are level C, when it is a combination of two levels C and one level B, or one level C and two levels B In other words, when the determination value is 1, 2, or 4, this corresponds to the case where the white cane 76 is not present, so it is determined that the white cane is not detected.

  When the reflected light intensity of each irradiation range 25 is strong in a relatively wide range, for example, when all are level A, all are level B, or a combination of two levels A and one level B, That is, when the determination value is 8, 18 or 27, since there is a possibility of a bicycle other than the white cane 76, it is determined to be held.

  When the reflected light in each irradiation range 25 includes relatively weak reflected light and relatively strong reflected light, for example, in the case of a combination of two levels C and one level A, one level C and one level A combination of level B and one level A, a combination of one level C and two levels A, or a combination of two levels B and one level A, that is, a judgment value Is 3, 6, 9 or 12, since it corresponds to the case where there is a white cane, it is determined that the white cane is detected.

  The detection unit 23 sets the white cane detection flag when it is determined that the white cane is detected, resets the white cane detection flag when it is determined that the white cane is not detected, and maintains the state of the white cane detection flag when it is determined that it is held. A white cane detection signal is output during the period when the detection flag is set.

  The detection process in the detection part 23 is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG. The light source 24a is turned on, the reflected light intensity from the irradiation range 25a is measured by the light receiver 22, and a value is set in the detection flag according to the reception level (step S1). Next, the light source 24b is turned on, the reflected light intensity from the irradiation range 25b is measured by the light receiver 22, and a value is set in the detection flag according to the reception level (step S2). Next, the light source 24c is turned on, the intensity of the reflected light from the irradiation range 25c is measured by the light receiver 22, and a value is set in the detection flag according to the reception level (step S3). Next, all three sensing flag values obtained based on the reflected light intensity from each irradiation range 25 are integrated to obtain a determination value (step S4). The determination value is applied to the determination condition to determine whether the white cane is detected (step S5). When it is determined that the white cane is detected, the white cane detection flag is set (step S6). If it is not determined that the white cane is detected, it is determined whether the white cane is not detected (step S7). If it is determined that the white cane is not detected, the white cane detection flag is reset (step S8). If it is not determined that there is, the white cane detection flag is maintained. The detection unit 23 repeats the detection process at a predetermined cycle, and outputs a white cane detection signal during a period when the white cane detection flag is set.

  The controller 3 receives an input of a white cane detection signal from the detection unit 23 of the white cane sensor 2, and receives an input of light color information of a pedestrian signal from the traffic signal controller 5. When the white cane detection signal is input, the controller 3 starts sound output from the speaker 4 and guides the visually impaired person by sound. For example, when a white cane detection signal is input, the speaker 4 makes a beep to indicate that a white cane has been detected, and when the pedestrian signal changes to a blinking blue signal, the signal turns red. "The signal is red" while the pedestrian signal is red, and when the pedestrian signal changes to a green light, the signal goes blue with the sound "ping pong" To broadcast.

  When the white cane detection signal is input, the controller 3 outputs a green signal extension request signal to the traffic signal controller 5 to extend the time of the green signal, and at the same time, the controller 3 transmits an acoustic signal to the traffic signal adding device 6 for the visually impaired. It outputs a traffic signal sounding request signal to start acoustic guidance for visually impaired persons, and assists visually impaired persons to safely cross the pedestrian crossing.

  According to this pedestrian support apparatus 1, in order to detect the white cane by comparing the reflected light intensity from the infrared rays irradiated to the plurality of detection ranges 25, it is erroneously determined that an object other than the white cane is a white cane. This can prevent the white cane detection accuracy. Increased accuracy of white cane detection prevents unnecessary delays in other traffic while ensuring the safety of visually handicapped persons, and leads to neighboring environments due to unnecessary guidance sounds emitted when there are no visually handicapped persons Noise can be minimized. By using light, road construction is not required, and inexpensive and lightweight reflective tape is used, so that the physical and economic burden on visually handicapped persons can be reduced.

  A pedestrian support apparatus 81 according to the second embodiment includes a white cane sensor 82, a controller 83, and a speaker 84 similar to the pedestrian support apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, and is a reflection possessed by a visually impaired person. When a white cane wrapped with a tape is detected, guidance for the visually impaired is started. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 7A and the side view of FIG. 7B, the guide block 92 of the station platform 91 is arranged along the track 94 while bypassing the pillar 93, and supports each pedestrian. The device 81 is attached to the pillar 93 above each corner of the guide block 92, and the white cane sensor 82 detects the white cane by irradiating light so as to cross the guide direction of the guide block 92. Is output.

  The pedestrian support device 81a and the pedestrian support device 81b detect the white cane of the visually impaired person entering the corner 101 from both sides, and the pedestrian support device 81c and the pedestrian support device 81d enter the corner 102. The white cane of the visually handicapped person is detected from both sides, and the white cane of the visually handicapped person entering the corner 103 is detected from both sides by the pedestrian support device 81e and the pedestrian support device 81f. By 81g and the pedestrian support device 81h, the white cane of the visually impaired person who enters the corner 104 is detected from both sides.

  In each pedestrian support device 81, the sound broadcast from the speaker 84 by the controller 83 that has received the white cane detection signal from the white cane sensor 82 is different. The pedestrian support device 81a “turns to the right.” “The track is on the left.” And the pedestrian support device 81b “turns to the left.” “The track is in front.” The support device 81c “turn left”, the pedestrian support device 81d “turn right”, the pedestrian support device 81e “turn left”, the pedestrian support device 81f is "turn right", pedestrian support device 81g is "turn right" and "the track is ahead", pedestrian support device 81h is "turn left." Broadcast “The track is on the right side”.

  For example, if a white cane of a visually handicapped person who is guided by the guidance block 93 and proceeds in the direction of travel 105 is detected by the pedestrian support apparatus 81a before the corner 101, the pedestrian support apparatus 81a " "Please turn." Is broadcast and the visually impaired can recognize that it is necessary to turn to the right at the corner 101. Furthermore, by broadcasting the sound “The track is on the left side”, visually impaired persons can recognize that it is dangerous to turn left. Next, when the pedestrian support device 81c detects a white cane in front of the corner 102, the pedestrian support device 81c broadcasts a voice saying "Turn left" and the visually handicapped person turns left at the corner 102. Recognize that it is necessary. Next, when the pedestrian support device 81e detects a white cane in front of the corner 103, the pedestrian support device 81e broadcasts a voice saying "Turn left" and the visually handicapped person turns left at the corner 103. Recognize that it is necessary. Next, when the pedestrian support device 81g detects a white cane in front of the corner 104, the pedestrian support device 81g broadcasts the voices “The track is ahead.” “Please turn right.” The person can recognize that it is dangerous to go straight, and can recognize that it is necessary to turn to the left at the corner 102, and the visually handicapped person can safely bypass the pillar 93.

  According to this pedestrian support device 81, it is possible to prevent an object other than a white cane from being mistakenly determined to be a white cane, detect the white cane with high accuracy, and improve the safety of the visually handicapped person. Can be safely guided, and it is possible to suppress misrecognition when a plurality of sounds are broadcast at the same time and noise caused by sounds broadcast when there are no visually impaired persons. The use of light makes it easy to install, and the use of inexpensive and lightweight reflective tape reduces the physical and economic burden on the visually impaired.

It is a figure which shows the structure and connection destination of a pedestrian assistance apparatus. It is a figure which shows the irradiation position of a light-emitting device. It is a front view of a white cane. It is a related figure of the emitted light intensity of a light emitter, and the reflected light intensity measured with a light receiver. It is a figure which shows the determination conditions. It is a flowchart of a detection process. It is a figure which shows the installation state of the pedestrian assistance apparatus of 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1; Pedestrian support device, 2; White cane sensor, 3; Controller, 4; Speaker,
5; Traffic signal controller, 6; Traffic signal adding device for visually impaired persons, 21;
22; light receiver, 23; detection unit, 24; light source, 25; irradiation range, 26;
71; pedestrian crossing, 72; traffic light for pedestrians, 73; struts, 74; stop position,
75; guide block, 76; white cane, 77; grip, 78; reflective tape, 79;
81; Pedestrian support device, 82; White cane sensor, 83; Controller, 84; Speaker,
91; platform, 92; induction block, 93; pillar, 94;
101; turn angle, 102; turn angle, 103; turn angle, 104; turn angle,
105: Direction of travel.

Claims (5)

A light emitter, a light receiver and a detector;
The light emitter emits light to at least three irradiation ranges that cross the guiding direction of the guide block;
The light receiver receives reflected light of light emitted from the light emitter,
The detection unit classifies the reflected light for each irradiation range into reception levels of high level, medium level, and low level divided by reflected light intensity, and at least one irradiation range is low level. If none of the irradiation ranges is at a high level, it is determined that a white cane is not detected, and if only one irradiation range is at a high level, or two irradiation ranges are at a high level and the other irradiation ranges are low. A white cane sensor characterized by determining that a white cane has been detected if the level, and holding the determination otherwise.   The detection unit assigns a value of 3 to an irradiation range determined to be a high level, assigns a value of 2 to an irradiation range determined to be a medium level, and assigns a value of 1 to an irradiation range determined to be a low level. The white cane sensor according to claim 1, wherein a determination value obtained by integrating the values assigned to is obtained, and the determination is performed according to a determination condition that defines a correspondence between the determination value and the determination content.   The white cane sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light emitter emits light before the stop position of the guide block.   The white cane sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter irradiates light before a corner of the guide block. A white cane sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A pedestrian support apparatus, which starts guidance for a visually impaired person when a white cane is detected by the white cane sensor.

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