JP2016171972A - Visually impaired person support system and white stick for visually impaired person used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for supporting outing of a visually impaired person and a white stick for a visually impaired person used for the same at low cost.SOLUTION: A visually impaired person support system includes a guide mark part formed by applying a soft magnetic material to a road surface, and a white stick for a visually impaired person having a sensor part for detecting a positional relationship between the tip and the guide mark part and an information provision part for providing the positional relationship to a user as information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a visually handicapped person support system for supporting a visually handicapped person to go out alone and a white cane for a visually handicapped person used therefor.

  When going out, a visually handicapped person carries a white cane to let the surroundings know that he is a visually handicapped person, operates it, and walks while detecting the state ahead of the road surface. Braille blocks for visually impaired persons are provided on the passages in the main railway stations and on the sidewalks around the stations. Two types of braille blocks are used: a rod-shaped block indicating that straight travel is possible and a dot-shaped block that prompts stoppage, and can be recognized by the sense of the shoe sole.

  These braille blocks are installed as appropriate by the managers of the respective facilities such as railway operators, sidewalk managers, etc., but the construction requires considerable costs, and the installation locations are limited to only a part. In particular, when laying on a sidewalk around a station paved with brick blocks, the construction requires a higher cost. In addition, braille blocks are rarely provided on pedestrian crossings. On the other hand, the Braille block is a factor that causes elderly people to hit the protrusions and cause a fall accident.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for kneading magnet powder into a braille block and detecting the location of the braille block using a hall element provided on a white cane as an information transmission system to a visually impaired person. It also shows that white lines on pedestrian crossings and other road markings are painted with magnet powder paint.

  According to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to notify a visually impaired person of a location such as a Braille block via a white cane, but it is necessary to form the Braille block or the road surface mark so as to function as a permanent magnet. There is a lot of work and a lot of money for the construction. In addition, since permanent magnets are formed on the road surface, small debris such as iron scraps, clips, and nails sticks, and there is a possibility that unpredictable effects may occur due to the magnetic force from the road surface.

  Patent Document 2 also discloses a technique in which a magnetic material such as a ferrite block is laid on the road surface and can be detected by a magnetic sensor provided on a white cane. This also causes the same problem as in Patent Document 1 in that a permanent magnet is installed on the road surface.

JP 10-113359 A JP 58-163365 A

  Blind people can get information about braille blocks from the sole of the foot and information about the road surface shape just ahead of the tip of the white cane, but with this limited information, practice with an assistant in advance. It is difficult to walk alone. For this reason, the range of action for visually impaired persons is extremely limited, and is far from a barrier-free environment.

  There is a traffic signal for pedestrians that can play a melody for the visually impaired, but there is one aspect that is causing noise damage to residents in the neighborhood. By stopping for a certain period of time, there is a place where a voice message guide for surrounding public facilities is provided, but a voice message unnecessary for people other than the visually handicapped is being circulated.

  Therefore, while providing useful information to individual visually handicapped persons and supporting their going out, it is possible to provide a low cost system for supporting visually handicapped persons that does not inconvenience people other than visually handicapped persons. It has been demanded.

  The visually impaired person support system according to the present invention includes a guidance mark portion formed by applying a soft magnetic material on a road surface, a sensor portion for detecting a positional relationship between the tip and the guidance mark portion, and the positional relationship as information. It comprises a white cane for a visually handicapped person having an information providing unit to be provided to a user.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to easily and inexpensively install the guide mark on the road surface, and it is possible to support the walking of the white cane user not only in the area around the station but also in a wider area. .

  A white cane for a visually handicapped person according to the present invention has a rod-shaped white cane body, a sensor part and an information providing part provided on the white cane body, and the sensor part detects the presence or absence of a soft magnetic material on the road surface. The information providing unit provides the user with the presence or absence of a soft magnetic material on the road surface as information. Specifically, it can detect the presence or absence of soft magnetic material on the road surface using a magnet catch as a sensor part, and a white cane is used as an information provider via a white cane grip part using a vibrator By transmitting vibration to the user's hand, the presence or absence of the soft magnetic material on the road surface can be provided to the user as information.

  By adopting such a configuration, the position of the guide mark made of the soft magnetic material on the road surface can be informed to the white cane user, and the walking can be supported, while the adverse effects caused by laying the magnet on the road surface can be eliminated. it can.

  The visually handicapped person support system according to the present invention includes an information storage unit that stores information related to the installation position on the road surface, and a reading unit for reading information stored in the information storage unit is provided on the white cane, and the read information Is provided to the user as sound information by the information providing unit.

  By using an inexpensive information storage unit such as an RFID tag, a large number of RFID tags can be installed to provide detailed information. Moreover, it is not necessary to carry around a separate dedicated portable terminal by providing these functions in the white cane that is always used by the visually impaired.

  The white cane for the visually impaired according to the present invention further includes a reading unit for reading information related to the installation position stored in the information storage unit provided on the road surface, and the read information is used as sound information by the information providing unit. It is provided with providing to a user.

  The information storage unit is, for example, an RFID tag, is installed on the road surface, and stores information related to the installation position and the periphery. The reading unit provided in the white cane is, for example, an RFID tag reader, reads information stored in the RFID tag, performs a predetermined process, converts the information into an audio signal, and the white cane user uses an information providing unit such as an earphone. Provide information to

  By adopting such a configuration, only the individual white cane user can be provided with necessary information by voice, and the white cane user can be walked without inconvenience to other pedestrians. can do.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the visually impaired person support system which supports the going out of a visually impaired person without being inconvenient to those other than a visually impaired person, and the white cane for visually impaired persons used for this can be constructed at low cost can do.

It is a top view which shows the example which applied the visually impaired person assistance system by one Embodiment of this invention to the sidewalk and the intersection. It is a top view which shows the guidance mark and RFID tag which were installed in the sidewalk in FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing configurations of a white cane for a visually impaired person, a guide mark, and an RFID tag according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram which shows operation | movement of the magnet catch used for the sensor in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows the component provided in the white cane for visually impaired persons in FIG. It is a top view which shows the example which applied the visually impaired person assistance system by one Embodiment of this invention to a subway premises.

  Hereinafter, a configuration of a visually impaired person support system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 show the components provided on the road surface, and FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the white cane and the relationship with the road surface.

  FIG. 1 illustrates an intersection of two roadways 10, a sidewalk 11 is installed on both sides of the roadway 10, and a crosswalk 12 and a pedestrian traffic light 13 are provided at the intersection. As shown in FIG. 2, a guide mark 20, which is a strip-like soft magnetic material, is linearly formed on the surface of the middle part of the sidewalk 11 along the longitudinal direction of the sidewalk 11. The guide mark 20 can be formed inexpensively and easily by applying a soft magnetic coating material to the sidewalk surface. The soft magnetic material is a magnetic material such as iron, silicon steel, and permalloy, and is a material that itself does not become a permanent magnet. It is distinguished from a hard magnetic material that itself is magnetized to become a permanent magnet.

  The guide mark 20 can be yellow for low-sighted people, but it can also be almost the same color as the ground from the point of view. In this case, it is conceivable to provide another support described later to the low vision person. It is sufficient that the thickness of the guide mark 20 is about several millimeters, and there is no inconvenience for elderly people and wheelchair users.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an RFID tag 21 is installed in the middle of the belt-shaped guide mark 20, and a protective cover 22 is provided on the RFID tag 21. In this example, the protective cover 22 is transparent and the underlying RFID tag 21 is visible. For example, the surface side of the sidewalk can be slightly rolled, the RFID tag 21 can be accommodated in the turned portion, and the protective cover 22 can be provided on the surface. In this case, the surface of the protective cover 22 can be made almost free from a step with the sidewalk surface. Further, the protective cover 22 can be provided on the RFID tag 21 installed on the road surface without hitting the sidewalk. Even in this case, it is only necessary to protect the thin RFID tag 21 from an impact, and the thin RFID tag 21 can be formed so as not to have a large step.

  The protective cover 22 can be formed of, for example, a reinforced plastic material, and can be yellow for a low vision person. Alternatively, the protective cover 22 can have a function like a reflector or can be provided with LED illumination. Also, if the protective cover 22 is formed of a reinforced plastic material, the white cane user will know that the white cane tip is on the RFID tag due to the difference in material when the white cane strikes with the stone protrusion on the white cane tip. Can do.

  If a passive tag is used as the RFID tag, it is not necessary to supply power to the tag. However, when LED illumination is applied, an active tag or a semi-active tag can be used by using the power source.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of RFID tags 21 are provided on the sidewalk 11, and these are connected by a guide mark 20. Although illustration is omitted, guidance marks 20 are also provided on the pedestrian crossing 12.

  In FIG. 3, a guide mark 20, an RFID tag 21, a protective cover 22, and a white cane 30 are shown. The white cane 30 includes a cane body 31, a grip part 32, a sensor 33, a reading part 34, a processing part 35, a vibrator 36, an earphone 37, and switches 38 and 39. In addition, the connection relationship of each component is abbreviate | omitted.

  The sensor 33 provided at the tip of the wand body 31 has a structure of a magnet catch 40 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the tip of the wand body 31, that is, the end of the magnet catch 40 is separated from the induction mark 20, the magnetic flux from the magnet 41 is the Hall element as schematically shown by the magnetic lines of force 43. Interlink with 42. The output of the sensor 33 at this time is an OFF signal. As shown in FIG. 4B, when the tip of the wand body 31, that is, the end of the magnet catch 40 is close to the guide mark 20, the magnetic flux from the magnet 41 is a soft magnetic material, as schematically shown by the lines of magnetic force 43. The magnetic flux does not interlink with the Hall element 42 through the induction mark 20. The output of the sensor 33 at this time is an ON signal. The sensor 33 can be provided in the stone protrusion and can be configured to rotate inside the stone protrusion according to the inclination of the white cane 30 so that the end of the magnet catch 40 faces the guide mark 20.

  The reading unit 34 is an RFID tag reader, for example, and is provided on the cane body 31 to read information stored in the RFID tag 21. As a transmission method of information stored in the RFID tag 21, an electromagnetic induction method or a radio wave method can be used. The installation interval of the RDID tag 21 is determined in consideration of the transmission distance, and it is preferable that information of only one RDID tag 21 can be read. When information from a plurality of RDID tags 21 is read at the same time, it is necessary to devise a distinction.

  FIG. 5 shows the connection relationship between the elements provided on the cane body 31 and the grip portion 32. In FIG. 5, when the user requests assistance using the guidance mark, the white cane is operated with the switch 38 closed. When the proximity of the guide mark 20 is detected by the sensor 33 provided at the distal end portion of the cane body 31, an ON signal is output from the sensor 33, and the vibrator 36 provided in the grip portion 32 operates to operate the user's hand. It is recognized that the white cane tip is on the guide mark. When the tip of the white cane 30 moves away from the guide mark part 20, the output from the sensor 33 becomes an OFF signal, and the vibration of the vibrator 36 stops. Thereby, a white cane user can walk along it, confirming the position of the guidance mark part 20.

  The reading unit 34 reads information stored in the RFID tag 21 via a wireless link, converts the information into an audio signal by the processing unit 35, and provides the audio signal to the earphone 37. The white cane user can hear the information stored in the RFID tag 21 as voice information. When the white cane user wants to concentrate on listening to surrounding sounds, the switch 39 can be opened to block the voice information. The processing unit 35 is, for example, a microcontroller, has a memory unit, and can store a user's walking history. Further, the output signal of the sensor 33 is supplied to the processing unit 35, converted into a sound signal, and the positional relationship between the tip of the white cane and the guide mark is notified to the white cane user by sound or voice from the earphone 37. You can also

  Next, the operation of the visually impaired person support system configured as described above will be described. In FIG. 1, the RFID tag 21-1 is installed in front of the bus stop, the RFID tag 21-2 is installed in front of the supermarket, and the RFID tags 21-3 and 21-4 are installed at the intersection. An example of a user heading to a municipal hospital from the station direction will be described.

  The user of the white cane 30 walks from the station along the guidance mark, and the white cane 30 reaches the RFID tag 21-1. The RFID tag 21-1 stores information “in front of the bus stop, east from the station, west from the intersection”, read by the reading unit 34, and processed by the processing unit 35. Since the history of walking from the station direction is stored in the processing unit 35, it is processed based on this information, converted into an audio signal, and the white cane user “in front of the bus stop” via the earphone 37. I'm walking east from the station. "

  When the user of the white cane 30 further proceeds along the guide mark 20, the white cane 30 reaches the RFID tag 21-2. The RFID tag 21-2 stores information such as "You can buy OOO, etc. in front of the supermarket. Right hand from the station direction and left hand from the intersection". This information is read by the reading unit 34 and processed by the processing unit 35. Since the history of walking from the station direction is stored in the processing unit 35, it is processed based on this information and converted into an audio signal. The user obtains voice information via the earphone 37, “In front of the supermarket. You can buy OOO, etc. It is on the right side from the station.”

  When the user of the white cane 30 further proceeds along the guide mark 20, the white cane 30 reaches the RFID tag 21-3. The RFID tag 21-3 stores information such as “the southwestern intersection, the pedestrian crossing to the north, the direction toward the municipal hospital, the police station to the south, and the city hall to the east”. This information is read by the reading unit 34 and processed by the processing unit 35. Since the history of walking from the station direction is stored in the processing unit 35, it is processed based on this information and converted into an audio signal. The user, through the earphone 37, says, “It is an intersection. Walking in the east direction. There is a 10m pedestrian crossing in the north, and there is a municipal hospital in front. The police station is in the south and the city hall is in the east. Get audio information. Information from the pedestrian signal is also provided to the RFID tag 21-3. Therefore, the user obtains audio information about the pedestrian crossing and the pedestrian signal through the earphone 37, such as “the pedestrian crossing is on the left side. The road width is 10 m and the pedestrian signal is currently red.” .

  The information stored in the RFID tag 21-3 is linked to the signal for pedestrians. When the signal turns blue, “The signal to the municipal hospital is blue. The road width is 10m and the remaining time of the green signal is 15 seconds. The data is rewritten to the data “and the user obtains this information via the earphone 37. The remaining time of the green light is sequentially updated, and the white cane user can confirm that the road width and the remaining time can be safely crossed.

  Walk along the guide mark 20 on the pedestrian crossing 12 and cross the pedestrian crossing to reach the RFID tag 21-4. The RFID tag 21-4 stores information such as “intersection northwest. Pedestrian crossing to the south, police station to the south, municipal hospital to the north, station to the west”. This information is read by the reading unit 34 and processed by the processing unit 35. Since the history of crossing the pedestrian crossing 12 is stored in the processing unit 35, it is processed based on this information and converted into an audio signal. The user obtains voice information through the earphone 37, “It is the intersection northwest. I crossed the pedestrian crossing. I am walking north. There is a municipal hospital in the north and a station in the west.”. Since the history of crossing the pedestrian crossing is stored in the processing unit 35, in this case, audio information about the pedestrian crossing and the signal is not provided.

  When the user of the white cane 30 further proceeds northward along the guide mark 20, the white cane 30 reaches the RFID tag 21-5. The RFID tag 21-5 stores information such as “the northwestern intersection, a pedestrian crossing to the east, a city hall ahead, a municipal hospital to the north, a police station to the south, and a station to the west”. This information is read by the reading unit 34 and processed by the processing unit 35. Since the history of walking toward the north is stored in the processing unit 35, it is processed based on this information and converted into an audio signal.

  The user goes through the earphone 37, “It is the intersection northwest. I am walking north. There is a pedestrian crossing in the east, there is a city hall in the east. Is obtained. This is followed by audio information about the pedestrian crossing and the pedestrian signal, such as “The pedestrian crossing is on the right. The road is 10 meters wide and the pedestrian signal is currently red.” Get through. Based on this audio information, the user of the white cane 30 follows the guidance mark 20 in the north direction as it is without crossing the eastern crosswalk.

  In this way, the user of the white cane 30 can safely walk from the station to the municipal hospital. The processing of the information obtained from the RFID tag 21 described above is performed by the processing unit 35 using predetermined software.

According to this embodiment, individual information necessary only for the white cane user can be provided, and unnecessary sound information is not given to other pedestrians and neighboring residents.
In the above-described example, the case where the present invention is applied to an outdoor sidewalk has been described. The user can walk with the mark, and the RFID tag can provide information about facilities such as stairs, escalators, elevators, washrooms, and sales floors.

  Hereinafter, an example in which one embodiment of the present invention is applied to a subway home floor concourse will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, platform doors 61, 62, and 63 for preventing falling to the track side are installed, and are linked to the opening and closing of the vehicle door. RFID tags 21-61, 21-62, and 21-63 are installed corresponding to the home doors with a sufficient distance from the home door. The home doors 61, 62, 63 and the RFID tags 21-61, 21-62, 21-63 are respectively connected by the induction mark 20, and the RFID tags are also appropriately connected by the induction mark 20. Yes.

  The home floor concourse is provided with an elevator 70, an escalator 80, and a stairway 90 for heading to the ticket gate floor, and a moving sidewalk 100 for changing to another route. RFID 21-70, 21-80, 21-90, and 21-100 are respectively provided at the installation locations of these facilities, and other RFIDs 21-64, 21-65, and 21- are provided along the lead of the white cane user. 66 is provided.

  Each RFID tag stores information about the arrangement of peripheral RFID tags. For example, when a white cane user gets out of the vehicle from the home door 62 and proceeds to the RFID tag 21-62, the previous history of the RFID tags 21-61, 21-63, 21-64 in the vicinity of the white cane is displayed. Since it is not stored in the processing unit 35, the processing unit 35 determines that the vehicle is getting off from the vehicle, and from the information stored in the RFID tag 21-62, “If you go straight, there are stairs to the ticket gate floor. , Parallel to the track "is provided to the white cane user via the earphone 37.

  When the white cane user proceeds to the RFID tag 21-64, the history through the RFID tag 21-62 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane. There is a staircase and a moving sidewalk for transfer. The right is an escalator to the ticket gate floor, and the left is an elevator to the ticket gate floor. ”The processed voice guidance is provided to the white cane user via the earphone 37.

  When the white cane user uses the elevator 70, the process proceeds to the RFID tag 21-70 installed at the elevator entrance. The information stored in the RFID tag 21-70 is read by the reading unit 34 of the white cane. Since the history via the RFID tag 21-64 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane, the processing unit 35 provides the earphone 37 with the processed voice guidance “Elevator entrance to the ticket gate floor”. To the white cane user. In addition, the information of the RFID tag 21-70 is rewritten at any time by the control signal of the elevator 70, and the information “Elevator has stopped at the ticket gate floor. Please wait for a while”, “Elevator arrives, Information such as “The door is open. Please ride” is provided from the earphone 37 to the white cane user. When the elevator car arrives at the ticket gate floor, the white cane user gets out of the elevator car, prompted by an announcement in the elevator car saying “It is the ticket gate floor. The door will open.” An RFID tag and a guidance mark are also installed in front of the elevator on the ticket gate floor, and guide the white cane user to the ticket gate.

  When the white cane user uses the escalator 80, the process proceeds to the RFID tag 21-80 installed at the escalator entrance. The information stored in the RFID tag 21-80 is read by the reading unit 34 of the white cane. Since the history via the RFID tag 21-64 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane, the processing unit 35 “is an escalator entrance to the ticket gate floor. Please provide the processed voice guidance to the white cane user via the earphone 37. The white cane user detects the exit of the escalator by operating the white cane, and gets off the escalator. An RFID tag and a guidance mark are also installed in front of the escalator exit on the ticket gate floor to guide the white cane user to the ticket gate.

  When the white cane user uses the stairs 90 or the moving sidewalk 100, the process proceeds to RFID 21-65. Since the history passing through the RFID tag 21-64 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane, the processing unit 35 performs a process of “if you go straight, it is a moving sidewalk for transfer, the right is the stairs to the ticket gate floor”. The voice guidance thus provided is provided to the white cane user via the earphone 37.

  When the white cane user uses the stairs 90, the process proceeds to the RFID tag 21-90 installed at the stairs entrance. The information stored in the RFID tag 21-90 is read by the reading unit 34 of the white cane. Since the history passed through the RFID tag 21-65 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane, the processing unit 35 processed the voice saying "It is a stairway entrance to the ticket gate floor. There are 20 steps." Guidance is provided to the white cane user via the earphone 37. The white cane user can use the white cane to find the beginning of the staircase, and can climb the stairs after knowing the number of steps in advance. The white cane user confirms the end of the stairs by operating the white cane. An RFID tag and a guidance mark are also installed in front of the floor of the ticket gate floor where the stairs are fully climbed, and guide the white cane user to the ticket gate.

  When the white walking stick user uses the moving sidewalk 100, the process proceeds to the RFID tag 21-100 installed at the moving sidewalk entrance through the RFID tag 21-66. The information stored in the RFID tag 21-100 is read by the reading unit 34 of the white cane. Since the history via the RFID tag 21-66 is stored in the processing unit 35 of the white cane, the processing unit 35 is “a moving walkway entrance for transferring to the OO line. The voice guidance processed as “Please check and get on” is provided to the white cane user via the earphone 37. The white cane user detects the exit of the moving sidewalk by operating the white cane and gets off the moving sidewalk. An RFID tag and a guidance mark are also installed in front of the moving walkway exit, and guides the white cane user to the platform on another route.

  As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, information on facilities such as subway station premises, stairs, escalators, elevators, moving walkways, etc. can be provided to the white cane user, and the walking can be safely induced. .

  1, 2, and 6 show a linear guide mark 20, but since it is formed by applying a soft magnetic material paint, the degree of freedom of its shape is high. For smooth user guidance or natural guidance, a curved guidance mark may be used.

  According to the white cane for a visually impaired person of one embodiment of the present invention, a user can obtain information for assisting walking without having an information terminal separately, and the walking becomes safer. .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Roadway 11 Sidewalk 12 Crosswalk 13 Traffic light 20 Guidance mark 21 RFID tag 21 Protective cover 30 White cane 31 White cane body 32 Grip part 33 Sensor 34 Reading part 35 Arithmetic processing part 36 Vibrator 37 Earphone 38, 39 Switch 40 Magnet catch 41 Magnet 42 Hall element 43 Magnetic field lines 61, 62, 63 Home door 70 Elevator 80 Escalator 90 Stairway 100 Moving walkway

Claims (4)

  A guide mark portion formed by applying a soft magnetic material on the road surface; a sensor portion for detecting a positional relationship between the tip and the guide mark portion; and an information providing portion for providing the user with the positional relationship as information. A visually impaired support system characterized by comprising a white cane for the visually impaired.   A rod-shaped white cane body, a sensor unit provided on the white cane body, and an information providing unit, wherein the sensor unit detects the presence or absence of a soft magnetic material on the road surface; A white cane for a visually handicapped person characterized in that the presence or absence of a magnetic material is provided to a user as information.   An information storage unit that stores information related to the installation position is provided on the road surface, a reading unit for reading information stored in the information storage unit is provided on the white cane, and the read information is used as sound information by the information providing unit The visually impaired person supporting system according to claim 1, wherein the visually impaired person supporting system is provided.   It further comprises a reading unit for reading information on the installation position stored in the information storage unit provided on the road surface, and the read information is provided to the user as sound information by the information providing unit. The white cane for the visually impaired according to claim 2.

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