KR20130115042A - Pedestrian obstacle warning system for the visually impaired person and warning method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A walk obstacle warning system for the blind and a warning method are provided to help the blind in safely walking by guiding an obstacle installed on a sidewalk and a distance with the obstacle. CONSTITUTION: A communication unit (130) receives an identification signal of a structure through local area wireless communications with a local wireless communications apparatus. A control unit (140) calculates the distance to the structure and the number of the structure based on the identification signal. An output unit (120) guides a warning signal stimulating tactile sense and auditory sense corresponding to information which is calculated to the blind. The distance to the structure is calculated from the control unit through reception sensitivity of the identification signal received in the communication unit of a wearable type portable terminal. [Reference numerals] (122) Vibration output unit; (123) Voice output unit; (130) Communication unit; (140) Control unit; (150) Battery

Description

Pedestrian Obstacle Warning System for the Visually Impaired and Method of Warning {PEDESTRIAN OBSTACLE WARNING SYSTEM FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON AND WARNING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a pedestrian obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired, more specifically, to walk more safely by guiding the presence and absence of obstacles installed in India, the distance and number of obstacles when walking to the blind, The present invention relates to a pedestrian obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired, which can be used without a separate operation in addition to wearing the portable terminal.

Conventionally, most of the facilities have been installed for the convenience of normal people, and because of this, the facilities for the disabled are remarkably lacking, so most of the disabled have to live with many inconveniences in social life. In particular, most visually impaired people with disabilities are able to detect obstacles placed in the direction of walking with a cane. In this process, safety accidents occur frequently due to collision without detecting obstacles in the direction of progression.

In order to prevent such safety accidents and to promote the convenience of the visually impaired, induction blocks, braille guides, sound and guidance signals, etc., are installed in public facilities or public places.In addition, various facilities for the visually impaired are installed and constructed. have. However, despite the increasing number of convenience facilities for the visually impaired, the facilities are still very scarce, and the visually impaired people still have a lot of difficulties in social life, and in particular, solve the problems of walking for the visually impaired. More research and development is required to do this.

In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent No. 10-0929569 discloses a stereo camera, a parallax map for an image photographed by the stereo camera, and a distance from an obstacle displayed on the parallax map using the parallax map. And an obstacle measuring unit for measuring a position and a display unit for displaying the measured distance and position, wherein the display unit is a warning sound generator for generating a warning sound capable of distinguishing a distance and a direction according to the measured distance and position, Disclosed is an obstacle information providing system mounted on a head mount of the stereo camera, the obstacle measuring unit, and the warning sound generating unit. However, the patent has a problem that it is difficult to monitor the obstacles to the side or the rear because it can detect only the obstacle to the front area, since the image camera should be worn on the front of the head or body. In addition, it is difficult to accurately grasp the image of the camera according to the movement of the head or body, there is a problem that can cause a greater safety accident when giving wrong obstacle information.

Therefore, the present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention can walk more safely by guiding the presence and absence of obstacles installed in the sidewalk, the distance and the number of obstacles when walking to the visually impaired, In addition to wearing, it provides a pedestrian obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired that can be used without any manipulation.

In addition, the object of the present invention is to detect the obstacle in a short-range wireless communication method, unlike the conventional method for checking the obstacle using a camera, corresponding to the presence, distance, etc. of the obstacle in all directions regardless of the direction of the visually impaired It is to provide a walking obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired to guide the warning signal.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a pedestrian obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired that can be operated by a simple configuration and installation, because it can operate without a camera.

In order to achieve the above object and a pedestrian obstacle warning system for the visually impaired in accordance with the present invention is mounted on a structure installed in India, a short-range wireless communication device for transmitting an identification signal for confirming the position of the structure through a short-range wireless communication And a wearable portable terminal configured to be wearable by the visually impaired and to provide the visually impaired with an identification signal transmitted from the short range wireless communication device.

The short range wireless communication device transmits the identification signal through a zigbee communication method.

The wearable portable terminal may include a communication unit configured to receive the identification signal through short range wireless communication with the short range wireless communication device, and a control unit configured to calculate a distance to the structure or the number of structures based on the identification signal received by the communication unit. And an output unit for guiding a warning signal to stimulate the tactile sense or hearing corresponding to the calculated information to the visually impaired according to the command of the controller.

The distance to the structure is calculated by the controller through the reception sensitivity of the identification signal received by the communication unit of the wearable portable terminal.

The number of structures is calculated by the controller through the number of identification signals received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal.

The communication distance between the wearable portable terminal and the short range wireless communication device can be controlled by adjusting the reception sensitivity of the wearable portable terminal.

The wearable mobile terminal further includes a chip of a radio frequency identification (RFID) type.

In addition, the walking obstacle warning method using a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired according to the present invention is a first step of transmitting an identification signal in the short-range wireless communication device, the wearable portable terminal signal area of the short-range wireless communication device A second step of entering into and receiving the identification signal, a third step of calculating a distance to the structure or the number of structures through the sensitivity or the number of the received identification signals, respectively; and corresponding to the calculated structure information And a fourth step of guiding the warning signal to the visually impaired person by vibration or voice.

The wearable portable terminal may include a communication unit configured to receive the identification signal through short range wireless communication with the short range wireless communication device, and a control unit configured to calculate a distance to the structure and the number of structures based on the identification signal received by the communication unit. And an output unit configured to guide the visually impaired to the visually impaired user by tactile or hearing according to a command of the controller.

The distance to the structure is calculated through the reception sensitivity of the identification signal received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal, and the number of structures is calculated by the number of identification signals received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal.

As described above, the walking obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired of the present invention can walk more safely by guiding the presence or absence of obstacles installed in India, the distance and number of obstacles when walking to the blind, and wearable portable In addition to wearing the terminal there is an effect that can be used without a separate operation.

In addition, the walking obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired of the present invention has an effect that can guide the warning signal corresponding to the presence or absence of the obstacle, the distance, etc. in all directions regardless of the direction of the visually impaired. .

In addition, the walking obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired of the present invention can operate by a simple configuration and installation because it operates without a camera, there is an effect that can reduce the installation cost.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired of the present invention.
2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired according to the present invention.
3 is a perspective view showing a wearable portable terminal of the present invention.
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wearable portable terminal of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a state in which an identification signal is received in a wearable portable terminal of the present invention.
6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a short-range wireless communication device of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a walking obstacle warning method of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a walking obstacle warning method of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described in detail a pedestrian obstacle warning system for the visually impaired. However, in the above description of the present invention, the same or similar components are given the same or similar reference numerals, and detailed descriptions of overlapping contents will be omitted.

1 and 2, the walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired of the present invention includes a wearable mobile terminal 100 worn by the visually impaired and a short range wireless communication device 200.

Specifically, the walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired of the present invention is mounted on a structure installed in India, the near-field wireless communication device 200 and time for transmitting an identification signal for confirming the position of the structure through the near-field wireless communication It is configured to be worn by the disabled, and includes a wearable portable terminal 100 for providing an identification signal transmitted from the short-range wireless communication device 200 to the visually impaired. Here, the identification signal may illustrate a warning signal corresponding to the structure information obtained by calculating the distance to the structure and the number of structures.

3 and 4, the wearable mobile terminal 100 of the present invention receives an identification signal of the short range wireless communication device 200 installed in a structure when the visually impaired person wears it and walks through it. The warning signal corresponding to the structure information obtained through the received identification signal is guided to the visually impaired.

Wearable portable terminal 100 of the present invention has a body 110 is provided to be worn on the wrist of the visually impaired. The body 110 may be implemented with a material having elasticity to maintain a constant wearability regardless of the size of the wrist.

The body 110, the output unit 120, the communication unit 130, the control unit 140, the power supply unit 150 and the operation unit 160 is installed.

The output unit 120 guides a warning signal to stimulate the tactile sense or hearing to the visually impaired according to a command of the controller.

That is, the output unit 120 includes a vibration output unit 122 or a voice output unit 123, and a warning signal for the structure information to the visually impaired in a vibrating or voice manner according to the command of the controller 140 To guide. In this case, the structure information may exemplify information about the distance to the short range wireless communication device 200 that transmits a signal from the wearable mobile terminal 100 and the number of structures.

The vibration output unit 122 guides the structure information through the strength and weakness of the vibration, the short and long duration of the vibration, the number of vibrations, and a combination thereof.

The voice output unit 123 voices the structure information to the visually impaired.

The communication unit 130 may exchange signals with the short range wireless communication device 200. The communication unit serves to receive an identification signal for confirming the position of the wearable mobile terminal 100 from the short range wireless communication device 200.

The control unit 140 controls the overall operation of the wearable mobile terminal 100 including the output unit 120, the communication unit 130, and the power supply unit 150. The controller 140 calculates the distance to the structure and the number of structures based on the identification signal received from the communication unit.

At this time, the distance to the structure is calculated through the reception sensitivity of the identification signal received by the communication unit 130. The distance calculation through the reception sensitivity can be used to construct data on the distance to the structure according to the strength and weakness of the reception sensitivity through the experiment, and to store the constructed data in the controller in advance.

The number of structures is calculated by the number of identification signals received by the communication unit 130 of the wearable mobile terminal 100. As shown in FIG. 5, three bollards (structures) each of which are equipped with short-range wireless communication devices 200a, 200b, and 200c are installed in India, and the wearable mobile terminal 100 is connected to each short-range wireless communication device. The identification signal can be received only within the communication range of. In addition, the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal receives the identification signals of the two short-range communication apparatuses 200a and 200b, and the controller 140 determines that there are two obstacles within a predetermined distance, and causes the output unit 120 to receive the identification signals. Instructs the user to guide or warn by vibration and / or voice.

In this case, the communication distance between the wearable portable terminal 100 and the short range wireless communication device 200 may be adjusted by adjusting the reception sensitivity of the communication unit 130 of the wearable portable terminal 100. For example, increasing the reception sensitivity of the communication unit 130 increases the communication distance, and reducing the reception sensitivity reduces the communication distance. In this case, when the wearable portable terminal 100 and the short range wireless communication device 200 communicate in a Zigbee communication method to be described later, the communication distance may be set to be 4 to 6 m.

The power supply unit 150 provides power to the wearable portable terminal, and includes a kind of battery.

The operation unit 160 is used to adjust the reception sensitivity of the communication unit 130 of the wearable mobile terminal.

On the other hand, the wearable mobile terminal may be configured to further include a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip. And since the chip can be used as a transportation card chip, etc., the user does not need to carry a separate transportation card, it is convenient.

2 and 6, the short range wireless communication device 200 of the present invention is mounted on a structure installed in a sidewalk or a pedestrian path.

For example, the structure may be equipped with a short-range wireless communication device without particular limitations if the visually impaired person becomes an obstacle when walking, such as a bollard or a distribution box (a facility installed on a roadside by KEPCO).

In addition, the short-range wireless communication device 200 is provided with a communication unit 210, a control unit 220 and a power supply 230 for transmitting an identification signal for confirming the position of the pedestrian.

The communication unit 210 transmits a signal to the wearable mobile terminal 100. Short-range wireless communication between the communication unit 210 and the wearable mobile terminal 100 may be used in various ways. For example, a zigbee communication method or a broadcasting method may be used, but the amount of data (identification signal) transmitted from the wearable mobile terminal 100 is small, the communication distance is short, and the wireless communication In consideration of the low power consumption, etc., it is preferable to use a Zigbee communication method.

The controller 220 controls the communicator 210 and the power supply 230 as a whole. In particular, the communication unit 210 to continuously transmit the identification signal for confirming the position of the wearable mobile terminal 100.

The power supply unit 230 supplies power to the short range wireless communication device 200.

Hereinafter, the walking obstacle warning method using the walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

First, the short-range wireless communication device 200 mounted on a structure such as a bollard or a distribution box transmits an identification signal. (S1) At this time, the short-range wireless communication device 200 transmits an identification signal for positioning by a Zigbee communication method. Continuously transmit to the outside

Subsequently, when the wearable portable terminal 100 enters into a signal area capable of detecting the identification signal of the short range wireless communication device 200, the communication unit 130 of the wearable portable terminal 100 receives the identification signal. Receive. (S2)

Next, the control unit 140 of the wearable portable terminal calculates the distance to the structure or the number of structures through the sensitivity or the number of the received identification signals.

At this time, the control unit 140 may command the voice output unit 123 to warn only the voice, and the vibration output unit 122 to warn through the intensity of the vibration, the short and long periods of the vibration, the number of vibrations and a combination thereof. In addition, the voice output unit and the vibration output unit may command to warn at the same time. In addition, the controller 140 selects a vibration / voice method and a warning signal according to each method according to the distance to the structure or the number of structures, and commands the same. As such, the warning signal selected by the controller 140 is provided to the visually impaired through the output unit 120.

Subsequently, the structure information obtained by the output unit 120 of the wearable portable terminal 100 is provided to the visually impaired by vibration or voice according to the command of the controller 140. (S4)

If the warning signal is sent to the voice output unit 123 to guide the structure information by voice from the control unit 140 of the wearable mobile terminal 100, the voice output unit 123 voices the contents of the warning signal. Will print. For example, the voice output unit 123 voices a warning "There is an obstacle 5m ahead." When the distance of the preset structure (eg, 1m) is reached, the warning “There is an obstacle 1m ahead” is instructed by the controller.

In addition, when the warning signal is sent to the vibration output unit 122 to guide the structure information by vibration in the control unit 140 of the wearable mobile terminal 100, the vibration output unit 122 may distinguish the contents of the warning signal. The vibration is output in a preset vibration method.

For example, a long vibration (for example, vibration for 2 seconds) at the vibration output unit 122 is a signal that there is an obstacle in front of 5 m in front, and then a short vibration (for example, vibration for 1 second). Once there is a signal that there is an obstacle 1m ahead.

On the other hand, when the number of structures, in particular, the plurality of identification signals received by the communication unit of the wearable portable terminal as shown in Fig. 5, the audio output can warn in the manner that "there are two obstacles ahead 5m ahead". have. And in the case of vibration output, if there are two vibrations for a long time (for example, vibration for 2 seconds), it warns that there are two obstacles in front of 5m. In this way, the visually impaired can easily recognize obstacles, thereby preventing safety accidents.

Therefore, the pedestrian obstacle warning system and warning method for the visually impaired of the present invention by providing information on the structure that is an obstacle when walking to the blind, it is possible to walk safely. In addition, even if the visually impaired person does not perform any operation, the short distance communication method between the short range wireless communication device and the wearable portable terminal detects the distance and the number of structures in real time and alerts them, thereby preventing a safety accident.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. It is also to be understood that the invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

100: wearable mobile terminal 110: body
120: output unit 130: communication unit
140: control unit 150: power unit
160: operation unit
200: short-range wireless communication device 210: communication unit
220: control unit 230: power unit

Claims (10)

A short range wireless communication device mounted on a structure installed in a sidewalk and transmitting an identification signal for confirming a location of the structure through short range wireless communication; And
A wearable mobile terminal configured to be worn by a visually impaired person and providing the visually impaired identification signal transmitted from the short range wireless communication device;
Walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired, comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The short range wireless communication device is a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired, characterized in that for transmitting the identification signal in a zigbee (zigbee) communication method. The method of claim 1,
The wearable portable terminal may include a communication unit configured to receive the identification signal through short range wireless communication with the short range wireless communication device;
A control unit for calculating a distance to the structure and the number of structures based on the identification signal received from the communication unit;
And an output unit for guiding a warning signal for stimulating the tactile sense or hearing corresponding to the calculated information to the visually impaired according to a command of the controller. The method of claim 3,
The distance to the structure is a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired, characterized in that calculated by the control unit through the reception sensitivity of the identification signal received by the communication unit of the wearable portable terminal. The method of claim 3,
The number of the structure is a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired, characterized in that calculated by the control unit through the number of identification signals received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal. The method of claim 1,
The communication distance that the communication between the wearable portable terminal and the short-range wireless communication device can be made is adjusted by adjusting the reception sensitivity of the wearable portable terminal, the obstacle warning system for the visually impaired. The method of claim 1,
The wearable portable terminal further includes a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) type chip for walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired. In the walking obstacle warning method using a walking obstacle warning system for the visually impaired of claim 1,
A first step of transmitting an identification signal in the short range wireless communication device;
A second step of the wearable portable terminal entering the signal area of the short range wireless communication device and receiving the identification signal;
Calculating a distance to the structure or the number of structures based on the sensitivity or the number of the received identification signals, respectively; And
A fourth step of guiding a warning signal corresponding to the calculated structure information to a visually impaired person by vibration or voice;
Walking obstacle warning method comprising a. 9. The method of claim 8,
The wearable portable terminal may include a communication unit configured to receive the identification signal through short range wireless communication with the short range wireless communication device, and a control unit configured to calculate a distance to the structure and the number of structures based on the identification signal received by the communication unit. And an output unit configured to guide the visually impaired person by tactile or hearing to the calculated information according to a command of the controller. 10. The method of claim 9,
The distance to the structure is calculated through the reception sensitivity of the identification signal received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal,
The number of the structure is a walking obstacle warning method, characterized in that calculated by the number of identification signals received by the communication unit of the wearable mobile terminal.

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