KR102314482B1 - Smart stick for blind - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention guides the visually impaired to a destination based on GPS, detects obstacles while walking, provides warning notification and avoidance gait, and converts information necessary for gait guidance into voice to prevent safety accidents It is about a smart cane for the disabled. According to the present invention, the staff member; a GPS module provided on the wand member to provide location information; a voice recognition module provided on the wand member to recognize the voice of a visually impaired user and transmit a voice command to the following navigation module; a navigation module for receiving a voice command recognized by the voice recognition module and interworking with the GPS module to guide a route; a speaker module for delivering voice guidance information provided from the navigation module to a user; an obstacle detection module provided on the wand member and configured to detect obstacles while walking; a control circuit module provided on the wand member and configured to control the operation of each module; and a battery provided in the wand member to supply the required power to each module; a smart wand for the visually impaired is provided, comprising a.

Description

Smart cane for the visually impaired {SMART STICK FOR BLIND}

The present invention relates to a smart wand for the visually impaired, and more specifically, guides the visually impaired to a destination based on GPS, detects obstacles while walking, provides warning notification and avoidance walking, and provides information necessary for guiding the walking by voice It relates to a smart wand for the visually impaired that can prevent safety accidents by converting it into a

In general, the cane used by the visually impaired is divided into an integrated long stick or multi-stage, so that when using the cane, it is stretched out for use, and when not in use, it is divided into a foldable cane that can be folded and carried.

The use of the cane as described above was used only for the purpose of allowing the visually impaired user, who is a user, to walk easily without injury by tapping the ground lightly and recognizing various obstacles or recognizing the curvature of the walking place.

However, as described above, in the conventional cane used by the visually impaired, it was used only for the purpose of recognizing that only the user, the visually impaired, can avoid the risk factors arising from the ground or other objects, Due to the problem that a third party, such as a pedestrian or a bicycle driver, cannot recognize the walking of the visually impaired, it has the disadvantage that the visually impaired are always exposed to the risk of accidents.

In general, as developed countries become more advanced, various devices and facilities are used to facilitate social activities of the disabled by assisting the disabled to move to the desired place and perform the desired work on their own.

Among them, the visually impaired are considered: a sidewalk block with braille markings installed on public facilities such as roads or subways; an alarm device installed on an intersection traffic light to notify whether crossing is possible with a dial tone; and the location or internal arrangement of a building Information boards that provide information in Braille for

Since the actual installation location of such convenience facilities for the visually impaired may vary depending on the condition of the road or building, an acoustic signal may be generated when a remote signal is sent using a remote control so that the visually impaired can easily identify the installed location. However, there are disadvantages in that there is a risk of loss and inconvenience of always carrying a separate remote control in addition to the walking stick carried by the visually impaired.

In addition, in the conventional stick for emitting a signal sound, there are many minor failures, and not only does not properly exhibit the signal sound emission function due to the failure, but also has a problem in that it does not have any other countermeasures.

On the other hand, not only the above-described visually impaired, but also the elderly, etc. had the problem of being constantly exposed to the risk of accidents caused by the visually impaired as described above, as their ability to cope in any dangerous situation was significantly reduced.

Republic of Korea Registration No. 10-0289511 (2001.05.02. Announcement) Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-1611237 (2016.04.11. Announcement) Republic of Korea Registered Utility Model Gazette 20-0311338 (2003.05.01. Announcement) Republic of Korea Registered Utility Model Publication 20-0193232 (2000.08.16. Announcement)

Therefore, the present invention for solving the above-mentioned conventional problems is a smart for the visually impaired that can prevent safety accidents by guiding destinations to the visually impaired based on GPS and converting information necessary for guiding walking into voice and providing them. The purpose is to provide a cane.

In addition, the present invention provides a warning notification and avoidance walking by detecting obstacles while walking, and equipped with an Aux terminal connection port to provide accurate voice and warning sound information even in a noisy external environment. Smart for the visually impaired Providing a wand has another purpose.

The problems to be solved of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to one aspect of the present invention for achieving the above objects and other features of the present invention, a staff member; a GPS module provided on the wand member to provide location information; a voice recognition module provided on the wand member to recognize the voice of a visually impaired user and transmit a voice command to the following navigation module; a navigation module for receiving a voice command recognized by the voice recognition module and interworking with the GPS module to guide a route; a speaker module for delivering voice guidance information provided from the navigation module to a user; an obstacle detection module provided on the cane member and configured to detect obstacles while walking; a control circuit module provided on the wand member and configured to control the operation of each module; and a battery provided in the wand member to supply the required power to each module; a smart wand for the visually impaired is provided, comprising a.

In the present invention, the voice recognition module includes a microphone unit for receiving a user's voice, and the control circuit module recognizes the voice input through the microphone unit and controls the voice recognition unit to perform an operation according to the recognized voice. , and a voice information transfer unit for transmitting the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit.

In the present invention, the obstacle detecting module includes an image capturing camera provided on the wand member, and a plurality of optical sensors, and the control circuit module is a floor area from an image input from the image capturing camera through an obstacle recognition algorithm. and an obstacle analyzing unit configured to detect an obstacle by extracting an object region, and a voice information transmitting unit configured to receive guidance information of the navigation module and a detection signal from the optical sensor and provide it as voice information.

In the present invention, it is configured on the wand member and further comprises an AUX terminal connection port to which an AUX terminal is connected, wherein the control circuit module detects the connection of the earphone to the AUX terminal connection port and is provided by the voice information providing unit It may further include an AUX control unit for transmitting the voice information to be transmitted through the AUX terminal access port.

In the present invention, a light emitting module configured on the wand member to emit light; a user body information detection module configured in the wand member to detect a user's heartbeat and gait amount; and at least one of a communication module configured in the wand member to communicate with an external terminal device, wherein the light emitting module is configured in the control circuit module according to a light detection sensor and a detection signal detected by the light detection sensor. Includes an LED that automatically emits light or blinks as a control signal, wherein the control circuit module detects the charge amount or the remaining amount of the battery and controls the battery detection unit to be displayed on the display window or LED configured in the wand body, and the terminal device A terminal device interlocking control unit to interwork with, a light emitting module control unit for receiving a detection signal from the light detection sensor to control the LED, and a signal detected by the user body information detection module to calculate heart rate and walking amount When the body information calculation unit and the body information calculation unit determine that the heart rate is out of a preset reference range, it is interlocked with the terminal device through the short-distance communication module to automatically execute pre-registered contact information for guardians and 119 It may further include a situation control unit.

According to the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention, the following effects are provided.

First, the present invention has the effect of providing safe and rapid walking by guiding the visually impaired to a destination and converting information necessary for gait guidance into voice.

Second, the present invention has an effect of providing a warning notification and avoidance walking by detecting an obstacle during walking.

Third, the present invention has an effect of further improving usability by providing an Aux terminal connection port so that accurate voice and warning sound information can be provided even in a noisy external environment.

Fourth, the present invention has an effect that can promote health management by detecting and notifying the body information of the visually impaired user.

Fifth, the present invention has the effect of quickly responding to an emergency by detecting a sudden change while walking and immediately sending the current location and emergency information of the visually impaired user to the guardian or 119.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of the control circuit module constituting the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention may be more clearly understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the present invention can make various changes and can have various embodiments, and the examples described below and shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments. No, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that the other component may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is mentioned that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprises" or "have" are intended to designate that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification exist, but one or more other features It should be understood that this does not preclude the existence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, terms such as "...unit", "...unit", "...module", etc. described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which includes hardware or software or hardware and It can be implemented by a combination of software.

In addition, in the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are given the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, throughout this specification, when a step is located “on” or “before” another step, this means not only a case in which a step is in a direct time-series relationship with another step, but also a step of mixing after each step and Likewise, the order of two stages includes the same rights as in the case of an indirect time series relationship in which the time series order can be changed.

Hereinafter, a smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a control circuit module constituting the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention.

Smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a large wand member 100; GPS module (not shown); speech recognition module (not shown); navigation module (not shown); speaker module 200; obstacle detection module; control circuit module 400; and a battery 500 . In addition, the present invention AUX terminal connection port 130; light emitting module 600; body information detection module; and a communication module, which is controlled by the control circuit module 400 and is configured to receive power from the battery 500 .

Specifically, the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention includes a wand member 100 formed in a predetermined shape; a GPS module (not shown) provided on the wand member 100 to provide location information; a voice recognition module (not shown) provided in the wand member 100 to recognize the voice of a visually impaired user (hereinafter, abbreviated as "user") and deliver a voice command to the following navigation module; a navigation module (not shown) for receiving a voice command recognized by the voice recognition module and interworking with the GPS module to guide a route; a speaker module 200 for delivering voice guidance information provided from the navigation module to a user; an obstacle detection module provided on one side of the wand member 100 and configured to detect an obstacle while walking; a control circuit module 400 provided in the wand member 100 and configured to control the operation of each module; and a battery 500 provided in the wand member 100 to supply the required power to each module.

More specifically, the cane member 100 forms a mounting space therein, and the cane body part 110 is formed in a long rod shape, and the cane handle part 120 provided on the upper end of the cane body part 110 . includes

Each module to be described below is mounted on the cane body part 110 and the stick handle part 120 , and each module provided on the cane body part 110 and the stick handle part 120 is electrically and electronically connected to each other. become made

The GPS module, the navigation module, and the speaker module 200 employ well-known technologies, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The voice recognition module includes a microphone unit for receiving a user's voice, and a voice recognition unit 410 and voice information transfer unit 430 for recognizing the voice input through the microphone unit and controlling to execute an operation according to the recognized voice. ) is included. Here, the voice recognition unit 410 and the voice information transfer unit 430 constitute one component of the control circuit module.

Next, the obstacle detection module provided on one side of the wand member 100 and configured to detect an obstacle while walking is an imaging camera 300 provided in the wand body 110 of the wand member 100 . The control circuit module 400 is an obstacle analysis unit configured to detect an obstacle by extracting a floor area and an object area through an obstacle recognition algorithm (or a floor recognition algorithm) from the image input from the image capturing camera 300 . (420).

In addition, the obstacle detection module includes a plurality of optical sensors provided on the stick body part 110 of the stick member 100, and the control circuit module 400 receives the detection signal from the optical sensor and provides it as voice information and a voice information transfer unit 430 that

Next, the control circuit module 400 provided in the wand member 100 and configured to control the operation of each module, recognizes the voice input through the microphone unit and executes the operation according to the recognized voice. A voice recognition unit 410 to control, and an obstacle recognition algorithm (or floor recognition algorithm) from the image input from the image capturing camera 300 of the obstacle detection module to extract the floor area and the object area to detect the obstacle It includes an obstacle analyzing unit 420, and a voice information transmitting unit 430 that receives guide information of the navigation module and a detection signal from an optical sensor of the obstacle detection module and provides it as voice information.

In addition, the control circuit module 400 further includes components for controlling an additional component to be described later. This will be described below.

Next, the battery 500 provided in the wand member 100 to supply the required power to each module is provided in the wand body part 110 and/or the wand handle part 120 of the wand member 100 . It may be configured as a built-in rechargeable battery, or may be configured as a disposable battery.

When the battery 500 is configured as a built-in rechargeable battery, a battery charging port is formed in the wand member 100 .

Here, the stick body part 100 further includes a display window or LED for displaying the charge amount or the remaining amount of the battery 500, and the control circuit module 400 detects the charge amount or the remaining amount of the battery and the It further includes a battery detection unit 440 displayed on the display window or LED.

On the other hand, the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention is configured in the wand member 100, AUX terminal connection port 130 to which the AUX terminal is connected; a light emitting module 600 configured in the wand member 100 to emit light; a user body information detection module configured in the wand member 100 to detect the user's body information; And it may further include at least one of a communication module configured in the wand member 100 to communicate with an external terminal device.

By including the AUX terminal connection port 130 in the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of not being able to properly hear voice information coming out through the speaker module 200 due to a noisy surrounding environment such as a road while walking.

And the control circuit module 400 further includes an AUX control unit 450 that detects that the earphone is connected to the AUX terminal connection port and transmits the voice information provided from the voice information providing unit through the AUX terminal connection port. .

Here, the present invention further includes a short-distance communication module such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to transmit the voice information provided from the voice information providing unit to the user terminal device (S) such as a smartphone, and the user to the user terminal device (S) You can connect earphones to and receive voice information from them.

In this case, the control circuit module 400 further includes a terminal device interworking control unit 460 for interworking with a user terminal device such as a smartphone.

Subsequently, the light emitting module 600 includes a light detection sensor, and an LED that automatically emits or blinks with a control signal from the control circuit module 400 according to a detection signal detected by the light detection sensor.

Here, the control circuit module 400 further includes a light emitting module control unit 470 for controlling the LED by receiving the detection signal of the light detection sensor.

In addition, the user body information detection module may be composed of a body information detection sensor(s) capable of detecting the user's heart rate or daily walking amount.

For example, the body information detection sensor is a photo-plethysmography (PPG) sensor configured in the wand handle part 120 of the wand member 100 to detect a heartbeat, and a Z-axis direction that occurs during walking. An acceleration sensor that detects the amount of walking (number of steps) as an average of Max-Min of data using periodic characteristics may be included.

Here, the control circuit module 400 may further include a body information calculator 480 that receives the signal detected by the body information detection sensor and calculates the heart rate and the amount of walking.

In addition, in the present invention, the control circuit module 400 is an application for short-distance communication by the short-range communication module when the body information calculating unit 480 determines that the heart rate is abnormal (ie, out of a preset reference range). It may further include an emergency control unit 490 made to automatically execute emergency texts and/or calls to pre-registered guardian contact information and 119 by interworking with the user terminal device of the preparation.

According to the smart wand for the visually impaired according to the present invention as described above, it is possible to provide a safe and rapid gait by guiding the visually impaired to a destination and converting information necessary for guiding the gait into voice and providing an obstacle during walking. It is possible to provide warning notification and avoidance walking by detecting .

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to promote health management by detecting and notifying the body information of the visually impaired user, and by detecting a sudden change during walking, the current location and emergency information of the visually impaired user can be directly transmitted to the guardian or 119. It has the advantage of being able to respond quickly to emergencies.

Although the embodiments as described above have been described with reference to the limited drawings, those skilled in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques are performed in a different order than the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result.

The embodiments described in this specification and the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of some of the technical ideas included in the present invention. Therefore, since the embodiments disclosed in the present specification are for explanation rather than limitation of the technical spirit of the present invention, it is obvious that the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Modifications and specific embodiments that can be easily inferred by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea included in the specification and drawings of the present invention should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: no wand
110: cane body part
120: cane handle part
130: AUX terminal connection port
200: speaker module
300: video camera
400: control circuit module
410: voice recognition unit
420: obstacle analysis unit
430: voice information transfer unit
440: battery detection unit
450: AUX control unit
460: terminal device interlocking control unit
470: light emitting module control unit
480: body information calculation unit
480: emergency control
500: battery
S: user terminal device

Claims (5)

absence of a cane;
a GPS module provided on the wand member to provide location information;
a voice recognition module provided on the wand member to recognize the voice of a visually impaired user and transmit a voice command to the following navigation module;
a navigation module for receiving a voice command recognized by the voice recognition module and interworking with the GPS module to guide a route;
a speaker module for delivering voice guidance information provided from the navigation module to a user;
an obstacle detection module provided on the cane member and configured to detect obstacles while walking;
a control circuit module provided on the wand member and configured to control the operation of each module; and
A battery provided in the wand member to supply the required power to each module; includes,
The voice recognition module includes a microphone unit for receiving the user's voice,
The control circuit module includes a voice recognition unit that recognizes the voice input through the microphone unit and controls to execute an operation according to the recognized voice, and a voice information transfer unit that transmits the voice recognized by the voice recognition unit,
The obstacle detection module includes an imaging camera provided on the wand member, and a plurality of optical sensors,
The control circuit module includes an obstacle analysis unit configured to detect an obstacle by extracting a floor area and an object area from the image input from the imaging camera through an obstacle recognition algorithm, and guide information of the navigation module and the optical sensor. and a voice information transfer unit that receives the detection signal and provides it as voice information,
It is configured on the wand member and further comprises an AUX terminal connection port to which the AUX terminal is connected,
The control circuit module further comprises an AUX control unit that detects the connection of the earphone to the AUX terminal connection port and transmits the voice information provided from the voice information transmission unit through the AUX terminal connection port,
a light emitting module configured on the wand member to emit light; a user body information detection module configured in the wand member to detect a user's heartbeat and gait amount; and at least one of a communication module configured on the wand member to communicate with an external terminal device,
The light emitting module includes a light detection sensor, and an LED that automatically emits light or blinks with a control signal from the control circuit module according to the detection signal detected by the light detection sensor,
The control circuit module includes a battery detection unit that detects the charge amount or the remaining amount of the battery and controls it to be displayed on a display window or an LED configured in the wand body, and a terminal device interlocking control unit for interworking with the terminal device, and the light detection A light emitting module control unit for receiving a detection signal from a sensor and controlling the LED; When it is determined that it is out of the preset reference range, it further comprises an emergency control unit for automatically executing pre-registered contact information for guardians and 119 by interworking with the terminal device through a short-distance communication module.
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