KR102158245B1 - Method and robot to guide path for the blinds - Google Patents

Abstract

An autonomous driving, autonomously controlled route guidance robot using real-time waves is disclosed. The path guidance robot for the visually impaired generates obstacle sensor that senses an obstacle in front, a road sensor that senses a safety guidance block from a road surface, and obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user by the obstacle sensor. And, a processing unit for generating route guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block, a driving unit including a wheel and a driving motor configured to travel based on the path guidance information, and a vibration motor, and the vibration motor It may include a handle portion for transmitting the obstacle information to the user through vibration, and a support member connecting the handle portion and the driving portion.

Description

Path guidance robot and method for the visually impaired {METHOD AND ROBOT TO GUIDE PATH FOR THE BLINDS}

The following embodiments relate to a path path robot and a method for the visually impaired.

Conventionally, guide dogs for the visually impaired are living creatures that are difficult for the disabled to handle and may have limitations that have the risk of unpredictable behavior. To date, various devices have been developed to solve this problem, but in some devices it is better to simply use a cane in terms of recognizing obstacles.

For example, many products have been released that recognize obstacles in front using ultrasonic sensors. While being able to replace the existing cane, there is an advantage that it can reduce the fatigue of the blind. If the method of such a product is largely divided, there are a method of recognizing an obstacle, avoiding the obstacle, and a method of notifying the obstacle.

It is a traditional method to convert changes in information provided only visually into audio information for the visually impaired. For example, a device fixedly installed in an external environment, such as an acoustic signal for a pedestrian crossing, changes visual information into auditory information and guides it.

Accordingly, technology is required to solve the discomfort of the behavior of visually discomforted people.

Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0005890 (2012.01.17.) Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0008106 (2006.01.26.)

According to an embodiment, a route may be continuously guided to the disabled.

According to an embodiment, a route may be guided to the disabled with information other than hearing.

According to an embodiment, a path guidance robot for the visually impaired includes: an obstacle sensor for sensing an obstacle in front; A road sensor for sensing a safety guidance block from a road surface; A processing unit that generates obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user by the obstacle sensor, and generates path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block; A driving unit including a wheel and a driving motor configured to travel based on the route guidance information; A handle part including a vibration motor and transmitting the obstacle information to a user through vibration of the vibration motor; And a support member connecting the handle part and the driving part.

The obstacle sensor may include a plurality of ultrasonic sensors to detect the obstacle by transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the detection range and receiving the ultrasonic signal reflected by the obstacle within the detection range.

The support member is implemented with an elastic material capable of transmitting a force generated by the driving unit traveling along the path of the route guidance information to the handle unit, and the handle unit controls the user with the force transmitted through the support member. You can pull in the direction corresponding to the path.

The road sensor further senses the crosswalk from the front, and the processing unit further generates crosswalk information including a path crossing the crosswalk in response to the crosswalk sensed by the road sensor, and the The driving unit may travel based on the crossing information.

A method for guiding a path for the visually impaired may include sensing a safety guidance block from an obstacle and a road surface in front; Generating obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user, and generating path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block; Driving based on the route guidance information; It may include transmitting the obstacle information to the user through the vibration of the vibration motor.

According to an embodiment, it is possible to overcome the limitations of existing assistive devices for visual impairment and guide dogs.

According to an embodiment, unlike guide dogs, by continuously guiding the path to the disabled, it is possible to improve safety and convenience when walking for the visually impaired.

According to an embodiment, by guiding the path to the disabled with information other than hearing, it is possible to reduce the auditory fatigue of the visually impaired when walking.

1 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.
2 is a view for explaining the operation of each module of the path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.
3 is a view for explaining the overall operation of the path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.
4 is a diagram illustrating an implementation example of a path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inducing a path for a visually impaired person according to an exemplary embodiment.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention disclosed in this specification are exemplified only for the purpose of describing the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention They may be implemented in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Since the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention can apply various changes and have various forms, the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and includes changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first or second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, for example, without departing from the scope of rights according to the concept of the present invention, the first component may be named as the second component, Similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in the middle. Should be. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being “directly connected” or “directly connected” to another component, it should be understood that there is no other component in the middle. Expressions that describe the relationship between components, for example, “between” and “just between” or “directly adjacent to” should be interpreted as well.

The terms used in the present specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a set feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof exists, but one or more other features or numbers, It is to be understood that the presence or addition of steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude the possibility of preliminary exclusion.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and should not be interpreted as an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this specification. Does not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these embodiments. The same reference numerals in each drawing indicate the same members.

Most blind people live with only their canes. There are often visually impaired people with guide dogs, but there are not many, and the accompanying prejudice is numerous. Due to lack of understanding of guide dogs, there may be inconveniences in places where pet dogs are not allowed, or facilities may not be used. In order to reduce this discomfort for the visually impaired, a path guidance robot for the visually impaired that substitutes for a guide dog will be described below.

The path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment has been developed to solve the discomfort in the behavior of people with visual discomfort, and it is possible to improve the limitations of creatures of the guide dog for the visually impaired. In addition, the robot according to an embodiment may have an improved function and inexpensively compared to existing products developed to replace guide dogs for the visually impaired.

1 is a block diagram showing the general configuration of a path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.

The path guiding robot 100 for the visually impaired according to an embodiment is a robot 100 in a form that can be carried by a user, and may be a robot 100 capable of guiding a path to a user with a visual impairment. For example, the path guidance robot 100 for the visually impaired may be implemented in the form of an RC car, and may be implemented as a robot 100 using autonomous driving, autonomously controlled real-time waves.

For example, the path guidance robot 100 for the visually impaired includes an obstacle sensor 110, a road sensor 120, a processing unit 130, a driving unit 140, a handle unit 160, and a support member 150. can do.

The obstacle sensor 110 may sense an obstacle in front. For example, the obstacle sensor 110 may be configured to detect a detection range of 160 degrees or more in front, and may include a plurality of ultrasonic sensors. Since the detection ranges of the plurality of ultrasonic sensors are combined, the obstacle sensor 110 may have a detection range of 160 degrees or more in front.

The road sensor 120 may sense a safety guidance block from a road surface. In addition, the road sensor 120 may sense a crosswalk on a road. The road sensor 120 may include a color sensor that is disposed on the lower surface of the robot 100 and determines a color of a road surface through which the robot 100 passes. In this case, the lower processing unit 130 may determine the moving direction of the robot 100 based on the detection result of the color sensor. For another example, the road sensor 120 may include a camera sensor. The camera sensor may photograph the front of the robot 100 to obtain obstacle information (eg, an image including an obstacle) about obstacles in front. The lower processing unit 130 may detect an obstacle by analyzing the image.

The processing unit 130 may generate obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user by the obstacle sensor 110 and may generate path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block. The obstacle information may include a position of an obstacle, a distance to the obstacle, a direction to the obstacle, the size of the obstacle, information on the type of the obstacle, and the like based on the position of the robot 100. The path guidance information is information that induces a path that the user should proceed, and may generate, for example, a path following a safety guidance block and a path across a pedestrian crossing. The processing unit 130 may control the lower driving unit 140 so that the robot 100 travels along the generated path.

The driving unit 140 may include a wheel and a driving motor configured to travel based on the route guidance information. The driving unit 140 may adjust the driving speed and driving direction of the robot 100 by controlling the rotation speed and torque of each travel motor based on the information generated by the processing unit 130.

The housing 190 may accommodate the obstacle sensor 110, the road sensor 120, the processing unit 130, and the driving unit 140 described above. The housing 190 may be implemented with a hard material to protect each module, and a support member 150 is attached to one side of the housing 190 to be connected to the handle unit 160.

The handle unit 160 may include a vibration motor, and transmit the obstacle information to the user through the vibration of the vibration motor. Accordingly, the handle unit 160 may inform the user of whether or not an obstacle is present in front of the user and whether or not the obstacle is approaching the user through tactile information. In addition, the handle unit 160 may include a driving activation interface. For example, when a user inputs a driving command through a driving activation interface (eg, a button or a switch), the robot 100 may start driving. For another example, when the user inputs a stop command through the driving activation interface, the robot 100 while driving may stop driving.

The support member 150 may connect the handle unit 160 and the driving unit 140. The support member 150 may be configured to include, for example, an elastic material, and when the path guidance robot 100 for the visually impaired travels along the path, the force of the support member 150 It may be transmitted to the handle unit 160 through an elastic material. As a result, the above-described handle unit 160 can pull the user in the direction in which the robot 100 intends to travel. For reference, the support member 150 may include a connection line forming an electrical connection between the processing unit 130 and the handle unit 160, but is not limited thereto.

The path guidance robot 100 for the visually impaired according to an embodiment may additionally provide information such as a crosswalk that was insufficiently provided by an acoustic signal device by using information obtained through an ultrasonic sensor and a color sensor.

2 is a view for explaining the operation of each module of the path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.

The ultrasonic sensing operation 210 may measure a distance to an obstacle through an ultrasonic sensor in step 211. In this case, the processing unit may adjust the speed of the driving unit based on the distance to the obstacle. In step 212, the processor may estimate its own position using the distance to the obstacle measured through the ultrasonic sensor.

The road sensing operation 220 may pre-process the sensing data in step 221 and output information for controlling the robot 200 based on the pre-processed result. For example, road sensors may be disposed in front and rear at the bottom of the robot 200, and track safety guidance blocks (eg, braille blocks, sidewalk blocks defined for the visually impaired, etc.). The color of the road surface collected for the purpose can be output. For another example, the road sensor may sense the front and output an image collected to detect a crosswalk. In step 222, the processing unit may generate information for controlling a direction based on the collected information.

The driving operation 240 may perform steering control and speed control of the robot 200 based on a result of the processing unit measuring the distance to the surrounding obstacles in step 241. In step 242, the processing unit may measure the current position based on the steering and speed of the robot 200.

In the vibration operation 260, in step 261, the vibration motor controller of the handle part pre-processes the control signal and controls the vibration motor. For example, in step 262, the processing unit may measure a distance to an obstacle in front, and may determine an intensity accordingly. In step 263, the processor may vibrate the vibration motor with a vibration intensity corresponding to the distance to the obstacle in front. Accordingly, the user 209 can recognize the distance to the obstacle according to the vibration intensity.

3 is a view for explaining the overall operation of the path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.

The path guidance robot 300 for the visually impaired according to an embodiment may guide the user 309 based on the path guidance information while the safety guidance block 320 is detected. For example, the path guidance information may include a path 321 continuously connected on the safety guidance block 320. For example,

While the path guidance robot 300 for the visually impaired travels along the path 321, the handle part 360 moves the user 309 to the path 321 with the force transmitted through the support member 350. Can be pulled in the direction corresponding to. Here, the support member 350 may be implemented with an elastic material capable of transmitting a force generated by the driving unit traveling along the path 321 of the path guidance information to the handle unit 360. Therefore, since it is visually impaired, the path guidance robot 300 may continuously guide the user 309 until the safety guidance block 320 is terminated.

In response to the case where the visually impaired path guidance robot 300 reaches the end point of the safety guidance block 320, the visually impaired path guidance robot 300 has a safety guidance block ( 320) or the crosswalk 310 may be searched.

For example, the road sensor may further sense the crosswalk 310 from the front. The processing unit may further generate crossing information including a path 311 traversing the crosswalk 310 in response to the crosswalk 310 being sensed by the road sensor. The driving unit may travel based on the crossing information. The path 311 crossing the crosswalk 310 may be, for example, a path perpendicular to a plurality of parallel solid white lines representing the crosswalk 310.

4 is a diagram illustrating an implementation example of a path guidance robot for the visually impaired according to an embodiment.

An exemplary form of a visually impaired induction robot 400 is shown. The housing of the visually impaired induction robot 400 may be implemented in a shape similar to a dog, but is not limited thereto. An obstacle sensor may be mounted in front of the visually impaired induction robot 400. For example, the obstacle sensor may include a plurality of ultrasonic sensors 410 for detecting the obstacle by transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the detection range and receiving the ultrasonic signal reflected by the obstacle within the detection range. .

A driving unit 440 for driving may be disposed under the induction robot 400 for the visually impaired. The driving unit 440 may include a wheel and a motor. In addition, a support member 450 connected to a handle that can be held by a user may be attached to the rear of the induction robot 400 for the visually impaired.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of inducing a path for a visually impaired person according to an exemplary embodiment.

First, in step 510, the path guidance robot for the visually impaired may sense a safety guidance block from an obstacle and a road surface in front. Furthermore, the path guidance robot for the visually impaired may sense a pedestrian crossing.

In step 520, the path guidance robot for the visually impaired may generate obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user, and may generate path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block.

Subsequently, in step 530, the path guidance robot for the visually impaired may travel based on the path guidance information.

In step 540, the path guidance robot for the visually impaired may transmit the obstacle information to the user through the vibration of the vibration motor.

However, the method of inducing a path for the visually impaired is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5, and may be performed in parallel or time series together with at least one of the operations described above in FIGS. 1 to 4.

In the present specification, a module may mean hardware capable of performing functions and operations according to each name described in the specification, or may mean a computer program code capable of performing specific functions and operations. Or, it may mean an electronic recording medium, for example, a processor or a microprocessor on which a computer program code capable of performing a specific function and operation is mounted.

In other words, the module may mean a functional and/or structural combination of hardware for performing the technical idea of the present invention and/or software for driving the hardware.

The apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and/or a combination of a hardware component and a software component. For example, the devices and components described in the embodiments are, for example, a processor, a controller, an Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). , PLU (Programmable Logic Unit), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions, it may be implemented using one or more general purpose computers or special purpose computers. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications executed on the operating system. In addition, the processing device may access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to the execution of software. For the convenience of understanding, although it is sometimes described that one processing device is used, one of ordinary skill in the art, the processing device is a plurality of processing elements and/or a plurality of types of processing elements. It can be seen that it may include. For example, the processing device may include a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. In addition, other processing configurations are possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of these, configuring the processing unit to behave as desired or processed independently or collectively. You can command the device. Software and/or data may be interpreted by a processing device or to provide instructions or data to a processing device, of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage medium or device. , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodyed in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over networked computer systems and stored or executed in a distributed manner. Software and data may be stored on one or more computer-readable recording media.

The method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the embodiment, or may be known and usable to those skilled in computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, and magnetic media such as floptical disks. -A hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions such as magneto-optical media, and ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of the program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those produced by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operation of the embodiment, and vice versa.

Although the embodiments have been described by the limited embodiments and drawings as described above, various modifications and variations are possible from the above description to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order from the described method, and/or components such as a system, structure, device, circuit, etc. described are combined or combined in a form different from the described method, or other components Alternatively, even if substituted or substituted by an equivalent, an appropriate result can be achieved.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and claims and equivalents fall within the scope of the claims to be described later.

Claims (9)

An obstacle sensor for sensing an obstacle in front;
A road sensor for sensing a safety guidance block from a road surface and a crosswalk from a front;
Generates obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user by the obstacle sensor, generates path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block, and traverses the crosswalk based on the sensed crosswalk. A processing unit that generates crossing information including a traversing path;
A driving unit including a wheel and a driving motor configured to travel based on the route guidance information and the crossing information;
A handle part including a vibration motor and transmitting the obstacle information to a user through vibration of the vibration motor; And
A support member connecting the handle part and the driving part
Including,
In response to reaching the end point of the sensed safety guidance block, the road sensor searches for a safety guidance block or a crosswalk that is spaced apart from the user,
The processing unit vibrates the vibration motor with a vibration intensity corresponding to a measured distance to an obstacle sensed with respect to the front,
Path guidance robot for the visually impaired. The method of claim 1,
The obstacle sensor,
Including a plurality of ultrasonic sensors for detecting the obstacle by transmitting the ultrasonic signal to the detection range and receiving the ultrasonic signal reflected by the obstacle within the detection range,
Path guidance robot for the visually impaired. The method of claim 1,
The support member,
The driving unit is implemented with an elastic material capable of transmitting the force generated by driving along the path of the route guidance information to the handle unit,
The handle part,
Pulling the user in a direction corresponding to the path with the force transmitted through the support member,
Path guidance robot for the visually impaired. delete The step of sensing a safety guidance block and a crosswalk from the front obstacle and road surface
Generates obstacle information about an obstacle sensed in front of the user, generates path guidance information based on the sensed safety guidance block, and includes a path crossing the pedestrian crossing based on the sensed pedestrian crossing. Generating crossing information;
Driving based on the route guidance information and the crossing information;
Transmitting the obstacle information to a user through vibration of a vibration motor
Including,
The sensing step,
In response to reaching an end point of the sensed safety guidance block, searching for a safety guidance block or a crosswalk disposed spaced apart from the user,
The step of generating the path guidance information,
Vibrating the vibration motor with a vibration intensity corresponding to the measured distance to the obstacle sensed with respect to the front,
A method of guiding the path for the blind. The method of claim 5,
The sensing step,
Transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the detection range; And
Detecting the obstacle by receiving the ultrasonic signal reflected by the obstacle within the detection range
Path guidance method for the visually impaired comprising a. The method of claim 5,
The driving step,
The step of pulling the user in a direction corresponding to the path by transmitting a force generated by traveling along the path of the path guidance information to a handle part
Path guidance method for the visually impaired further comprising a. delete A computer-readable recording medium storing one or more computer programs including instructions for performing the method of any one of claims 5 to 7.

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