KR20160133318A - Smart walking assistance device for the blind and Smart walking assistance system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smart walking assistance device which operates in linkage to a workstation of a visually handicapped person. The smart walking assistance device comprises: a wireless communications part which wirelessly communicates with the workstation; a sensor part which detects objects around the visually handicapped person; a control part which controls the whole operation of the smart walking assistance device; a power supply part which supplies power to the smart walking assistance device; a sound generator; and a memory part which stores information generated from the smart walking assistance device. The smart walking assistance device of the present invention can be easily worn and used by a visually handicapped person.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a smart walking assistance device for a visually impaired person, and a smart walking assistance device using the same,

The present invention relates to a smart walking aiding device for a visually impaired person, and more particularly to a smart walking aiding device for a visually impaired person who is easy to wear on the body of a visually impaired person and operates according to a gesture of a visually impaired person.

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in December, 2013, the number of blind people registered in Korea is over 250,000, including 500,000 persons including unregistered disabled persons, and the number is increasing every year. According to one study, visually impaired persons felt the most inconvenience in living, and 47% of the respondents complained of inconvenience when walking. In particular, visually impaired people were found to be the most difficult to navigate in unfamiliar roads.

For this reason, the visually impaired person is limited by his or her own actions, so the assistance of the activity assistant is required for 24 hours. However, the reality is that the lack of workforce and budget of the activity assistant limit the behavior of the visually impaired person.

For this purpose, a walking aid for the visually impaired is required. Such a walking assist device for the visually impaired should be able to detect obstacles located around the obstacle when walking and to warn and avoid dangerous situations that may occur to the visually impaired.

However, many of the visually impaired pedestrian assist devices developed so far have a low visibility for the user who is reluctant to use the walking assist device due to low wear, possession, and ease of use.

Accordingly, a walking assist device in the form of an accessory which is easy to wear, hold, and use for the visually impaired is required.

That is, since visually impaired persons using the walking assist device for the visually impaired are difficult to see ahead, a smart walking assist device capable of operating with a simple gesture rather than a complex operation method is needed.

It is also necessary to provide guidance to the visually impaired so that the visually impaired can walk safely to the desired destination.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a smart walking aiding device which is easy to wear and use for a visually impaired person.

The present invention also provides a smart walking assistance system that operates in accordance with a simple finger gesture of a visually impaired person in cooperation with a terminal owned by a visually impaired person.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a smart walking assist device that operates in cooperation with a terminal of a visually impaired person, the smart walking assist device comprising: a wireless communication unit wirelessly communicating with the terminal; A sensor unit for detecting an obstacle surrounding the visually impaired person; A controller for controlling overall operation of the smart walking assistance device; A power supply unit for supplying power to the smart walking aid; An acoustic generator; And a memory unit for storing information generated in the smart walking assist device. When the intelligent walking assistance apparatus is interlocked with the terminal, the controller transmits obstacle information sensed by the sensor unit to the terminal, Wherein the generating unit generates sound according to the obstacle information.

And the sound generating unit generates sound according to the position and the direction of the obstacle.

The smart walking assistance device may have a necklace shape and an armband shape.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal for interfacing with a smart walking aid, comprising: a communication unit for communicating with the smart walking aid; A touch screen in which a gesture of the blind is inputted; A position recognition unit for recognizing the position of the visually impaired person; And a speaker for outputting voice guidance, wherein when the peripheral obstacle information is received from the interlocked smart walking assistance device, the terminal guides the obstacle information to the visually impaired person by voice.

The number of touch points of the gesture input and the touch holding time may be determined regardless of the touch position from the touch screen.

And switches to the guidance mode according to the gesture inputted by the visually impaired person.

The route guidance mode may voice guidance of the route guidance information corresponding to the movement route between the departure place and the destination, and the information corresponding to the surrounding obstacle information is additionally guided from the interlocked smart walking assistance device .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a smart walking assist system, comprising: a smart walking assist device for sensing an obstacle located in the vicinity of the visually impaired; And a terminal interlocked with the smart walking assistance device to provide an interlocking mode to the smart walking assistance device and further provide a guidance mode according to a predetermined touch input of the visually impaired person, Is operated in one of an independent mode, an interlocking mode, and a route guidance mode in cooperation with the terminal.

The interlocking mode may receive the obstacle information from the smart walking assistance device and provide information corresponding to the received obstacle information by voice.

The route guiding mode includes voice guidance of route guidance information corresponding to a route of departure and destination set through a departure location and a destination check procedure with a predetermined guardian, And further informing the user of the information that the user is currently speaking.

The smart walking aid device of the present invention is configured as an accessory type which is easy to wear and easy to carry, and is operated by interworking with a smart phone or the like possessed by a visually impaired person, , It is convenient for the visually impaired.

In particular, the smart walking assist device of the present invention is operated in various modes through a simple gesture for a terminal possessed by a visually impaired person, and is controllable, so that the convenience of use is excellent.

In addition, the smart walking assist device of the present invention detects obstacles located in the periphery of a visually impaired person and warns about a danger that may occur to a visually impaired person so as to be avoided, thereby enabling a visually impaired person to walk safely.

In addition, the smart walking assistance system of the present invention enables a guardian of a visually impaired person to remotely identify a desired destination of a visually impaired person and guide a safe route so that a visually impaired person can safely walk to a destination.

1 schematically shows a smart walking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 schematically shows a smart walking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a smart walking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG.
FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an internal view of a user terminal for the visually impaired according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.
5 is a block diagram illustrating the functionality of an application for providing guidance to the visually impaired.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a mode operation method of a smart walking assist system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a gesture input method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 schematically shows a method of providing a route guidance of a smart walking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The smart walking assistance system of the present invention includes a smart walking assistance device capable of wirelessly communicating with a terminal owned by a visually impaired person.

The smart walking assistance device of the present invention operates in a plurality of modes according to the terminal operation of the visually impaired person. In the present invention, terminal manipulation is performed according to predetermined gestures so that a blind person can easily manipulate the terminal.

The plurality of modes of the smart walking assistance apparatus of the present invention include an independent mode, an interlocking mode, and a guidance mode.

First, the independent mode is a mode in which only the smart walking assist device operates without interlocking with the terminal.

That is, a peripheral obstacle of a visually impaired person is detected through a sensor unit provided in the smart walking assist device, and an alarm is issued to the visually impaired person according to the detected position and direction of the obstacle, so that the visually impaired person can safely walk the obstacle.

Next, the interlocking mode is a mode in which a walking aid for a visually impaired person and a terminal of a visually impaired person are connected by wireless communication.

At this time, the obstacle information and the remaining power amount information detected by the walking aid for the visually impaired are transmitted to the terminal, and the terminal informs the corresponding information received from the walking aid device by voice, So that the user can walk more safely.

To this end, the sensors provided in the smart walking assist device detect the position and movement direction of an obstacle or an object located around the visually impaired person and output it through voice.

Next, the guidance mode is a mode for providing a guidance service specialized for a visually impaired person by combining the information sensed by the smart walking aid and the guidance function of the terminal of the visually impaired.

That is, the visually impaired person is guided through the terminal of the visually impaired to the correct and safe route to the destination and enables the visually impaired person to safely move to the destination without being obstructed by the obstacle or the object through the obstacle or object information located in the path.

Meanwhile, the smart walking assist device of the present invention is configured to be easily worn on the body of the visually handicapped person and to be easily carried, and is equipped with various sensors for monitoring the surroundings.

In addition, in the present invention, a terminal for a visually impaired person is preferably a device including a smart phone, a tablet, a PDA, etc., and preferably has a location recognition function using GPS, Wifi, etc. and uses Wifi, Bluetooth, Zigbee Thereby performing wireless communication.

In addition, the terminal of the visually impaired person should have means for recognizing the gesture inputted by the visually impaired person, and such a recognition means may be a touch screen supporting multi-touch.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, the smart walking assistance system according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 1 schematically shows a smart walking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the smart walking assist system 10 is configured to include a smart walking assist device 100, a user terminal 200, and a guardian terminal 300, and includes a smart walking assist device 100, The mobile terminal 200 and the guardian terminal 300 may be connected to each other by wireless communication.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, a smart walking assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. 2 schematically shows a smart walking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

2, the smart walking assistance device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a necklace portion and a pair of armband portions.

In the present embodiment, the smart walking assistance device is composed of a necklace portion and an armband portion, but is not limited thereto, and the necklace portion and the armband portion are connected to each other by wire, but are not limited thereto. The smart walking assistance device of the present invention may be configured in various designs according to purposes and needs.

However, for convenience of explanation and understanding, the present embodiment will be described on the basis of the present embodiment.

First, the necklace portion is formed in a circular shape so as to be hung on the neck of the blind, and the armband portion is provided with fastening portions at both ends thereof. Accordingly, the smart walking assistance device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be easily worn on the neck and both arms of the visually impaired by wearing the necklace portion on the head and fastening the both ends of the arm band to each other . Accordingly, it becomes possible to easily wear the smart walking aid even if the visually impaired person wears any clothes.

The smart walking assist device 100 according to the present invention may include a main body 170, a sensor unit 120, and a power source unit 140 in a necklace unit.

The main body 170 may include a wireless communication unit 110, a sensor unit 120, a control unit 130, a sound generating unit 150, and a memory unit 160. The sensor unit 120 provided on the necklace unit may be configured with various sensors to detect obstacles and movement directions in front of the visually impaired person.

The sensor unit 120 is composed of sensors for sensing an obstacle located in the vicinity of the smart walking aid and a moving direction. Specifically, the sensor unit 120 may include various types of sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, and the like.

In addition, a camera or the like may be used as a video image pickup device for detecting an obstacle around a blind person by the sensor unit.

The power supply unit 140 may store power for driving the walking aid 100, and may be configured to turn on / off the blind person with an external button.

The armband portion can be worn on the arm of a visually impaired person so that an obstacle present on the side of the visually impaired person can be detected through the sensor portion 120 mounted thereto.

Hereinafter, functions of the smart walking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a smart walking assistance device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG.

3, the smart walking assist system 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, a sensor unit 120, a controller 130, a power unit 140, a sound generator 150, and a memory unit 160, . ≪ / RTI >

The wireless communication unit 110 is interlocked with the terminal 200 of the visually impaired person through wireless communication.

Specifically, the wireless communication unit 110 can wirelessly communicate with the terminal 200 using Wifi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or the like. It is preferable to use Bluetooth as the wireless communication method used in the present invention. In addition, the mode of operation of the wireless communication unit 110 may vary depending on whether or not the terminal 200 is communicatively connected.

For example, the smart walking assist device 100 operates in the independent mode in a state where the wireless communication unit 110 of the smart walking assist device 100 and the terminal 200 are not linked by wireless communication. The stand-alone mode is a mode in which only the smart walking assist device 100 operates. In the smart walking assist device 100, an obstacle located in the vicinity of the visually impaired person is sensed, Or when the remaining power level of the smart walking assistance device 100 is lower than a preset reference level, sound may be generated.

Also, when the wireless communication unit 110 and the terminal 200 are interlocked in wireless communication, the smart walking assist system 10 operates in the interlocking mode. The interlock mode is a mode in which the smart walking assist device 100 and the terminal 200 are connected by wireless communication and transmits information collected by the smart walking assist device 100 to the terminal 200, And information such as directions and distances of obstacles or objects existing in the vicinity of the visually impaired person detected by the assistant device 100 is voiced.

The sensor unit 120 may be variously configured as an ultrasonic sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, or the like as described above with reference to FIG.

For example, an ultrasonic sensor generates an ultrasonic signal in a predetermined cycle and senses an ultrasonic signal reflected and returned. Accordingly, the ultrasonic sensor can sense the direction, distance, and the like in which the obstacle is located according to the reception of the ultrasonic signal reflected by the obstacle located within a certain range of the smart walking assist device 100. In addition, the information sensed by the ultrasonic sensor can be transmitted to the controller 130.

In addition, another sensor may be a geomagnetic sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor detects an azimuth using a geomagnetic field. Therefore, the geomagnetic sensor can measure the direction in which the visually impaired person moves. At this time, the movement direction information of the visually impaired person sensed by the geomagnetism sensor can help determine the direction of movement without being limited to the position where the visually impaired person is holding the terminal when the guidance information is provided in the terminal 200. [ The control unit 130 controls the overall operation of the smart walking assist device 100.

Specifically, the controller 130 may determine whether an obstacle is located within a predetermined distance according to the obstacle information detected by the sensor unit 120. [ The control unit 130 may control the sound generator 150 to generate other sounds according to the distance and direction of the obstacle.

For example, when the control unit 130 determines that the obstacle is detected within 1 m, if the sound generator 150 determines that the beep sound is detected within 50 cm at intervals of 3 seconds, If it is determined that the sound of the beep sound at intervals of 2 seconds is within 20 cm and the obstacle is very close to the blind person, it is possible to control the generation unit 150 to generate a beep sound at intervals of 1 second.

The control unit 130 may control the memory unit 160 to store information generated in a state where the wireless communication unit 110 and the terminal 200 are not connected by wireless communication, The controller 200 may control the information stored in the memory unit 160 to be transmitted to the terminal 200 when the terminal 200 is connected to the terminal 200 through wireless communication.

The power supply unit 140 stores power for driving the smart walking assist device 100, as described above. Accordingly, the power supply unit 140 can be powered on the smart walking aid according to an operation of the visually impaired person turning on / off the external button of the power supply unit 140. In addition, the power supply unit 140 may transmit the power remaining amount information to the control unit 130.

The sound generator 150 generates sound according to the control of the controller 130.

More specifically, the sound generator 150 may generate sound if the obstacle detected by the ultrasonic sensor unit 120 is within a predetermined distance. Also, when the remaining power supplied from the power supply unit 160 reaches a predetermined reference level or less, sound is generated.

The memory unit 160 stores all information generated in the smart walking assist device 100.

In detail, the memory unit 160 may collect and store the obstacle information until the blind person reaches the moving path or the destination.

The smart walking assist device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention senses the number of touch points and the touch holding time according to a simple gesture for a visually impaired person who is difficult to directly operate the terminal 200 And can operate in multiple modes according to the gesture.

The first mode is an independent mode, in which only the smart walking assist device 100 operates without interlocking with a terminal.

In order for the stand-alone mode to operate, power is applied to the smart walking aid 100 when the power unit 140 is turned on and connection to the terminal 200 of the visually impaired is performed at the wireless communication unit 110 of the smart walking aid 100 Try it. At this time, if the smart walking assist device 100 is not connected to the terminal 200, it operates in the independent mode.

When the independent mode is operated, the power of the smart walking assist device 100 is checked and a buzzer sound is generated if the remaining power is detected to be less than the predetermined power remaining amount. Also, the sensor unit 120 of the smart walking aid device 100 detects an obstacle located in the vicinity of the blind person, and various buzzer sounds are generated according to the direction and / or the distance of the obstacle.

For example, if the smart walking assist device 100 determines that an obstacle is detected within 1 m, a sound of a beep sound may be generated at an interval of 3 seconds by the sound generating unit 150, and if it is determined that the beep sound is detected within 50 cm A sound of a beep sound may be generated at an interval of 2 seconds by the sound generating unit 150. If it is determined that the obstacle is very close to the blind within 20 cm, the sound generating unit 150 may generate a beep sound Sound can be generated so that the visually impaired can recognize the distance of the obstacle by sound alone, so that the danger can be detected.

The second mode is an interlocking mode in which the smart walking assistant device 100 and the terminal 200 are connected wirelessly.

In order for the interlocking mode to operate, when the smart walking assist device 100 is connected to the terminal 200 via wireless communication after power is applied to the smart walking assist device 100, the interlock mode is operated. At this time, the smart walking assistant device 100 receives the information sensed and stored in the sensor unit 120 and the remaining power amount information of the power supply unit 140 through the memory unit 160 to the terminal 200.

At this time, when the smart walking assistance device 100 and the terminal 200 are interlocked, no sound is generated in the sound generating part 150 of the smart walking assist device 100 and the obstacle and the remaining power information Guidance by voice.

Specifically, in the interlock mode, all information generated and sensed by the smart walking assist device 100 is transmitted to the terminal 200 through wireless communication, and the terminal can guide information such as an obstacle through the speaker.

For example, according to the information transmitted from the smart walking assistant device 100 in the terminal 200, there may be an obstacle within 1 meter of the left side, a dead end within 50 cm ahead, or there is a road ahead &Quot;, " Please do it ", and the like.

In addition, the terminal 200 can input a preset gesture from the blind person, and the guiding mode can be operated according to the input gesture.

The route guidance mode is a mode for providing guidance for a visually impaired person at the terminal 200.

The guidance mode is switched to the interlocking mode according to the gesture inputted from the blind person through the touch screen 220 of the terminal 200. [

In the guided mode, the blind can set a destination to go to. This destination setting may be made by a visually impaired person alone by a voice command, but in the present embodiment, a description will be focused on what is set by a pre-designated guardian.

Specifically, when a visually impaired person delivers a destination through a call to a predetermined guardian to set a destination, the guardian sets a destination, checks whether the route from the departure point of the visually impaired person to the destination is safe, And transmits the guidance information. According to the transmitted route guidance information, the visually impaired person is provided with safe route guidance from the departure point to the destination within the movement route.

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an internal view of a user terminal for the visually impaired according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

4, the terminal 200 may include a communication unit 210, a touch screen 220, a terminal control unit 230, a position recognition unit 240, and a speaker 250.

The communication unit 210 is wirelessly communicated with the smart walking assistant device 100 and can use a wireless communication scheme such as Wifi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or the like.

The touch screen 220 receives a gesture of the blind. Here, the gesture means 'touch' input or action on the touch screen 220 by the blind person. That is, the touch screen 220 executes an application according to a touch input by a visually impaired person, and performs various operations according to a preset touch method or a touch holding time.

The terminal control unit 230 can control the overall operation of the terminal. First, the gesture input from the touch screen 220 is determined and a corresponding function is performed.

Specifically, the terminal control unit 230 determines the operation for the gesture of the blind person.

Here, the gesture includes various forms such as a multi-touch, a repeated touch, a touch holding time, etc., on the touch screen, regardless of the position of the touch screen 220. For example, the multi-touch may be composed of 1 point to 5 points or more, and the repeated touch may be performed by repeating the same key input two or more times, and the touch holding time may be maintained for the same key input for several seconds or more can do.

In this manner, the terminal control unit 230 can determine the mode operation by determining the multi-touch, the repeated touch, and the touch holding time for the gesture input from the touch screen 220.

For example, when the smart walking assist system 10 determines that the number of multi-touch points input by the visually impaired person in the interlocking mode operation is two, the power remaining amount information of the smart walking assist device 100 or the terminal 200 It can be provided to the visually impaired by voice.

When the touch mode is continuously maintained for a predetermined time, when the touch mode is changed from the interlocking mode to the guidance mode, it is determined to be 'Yes' and the mode is changed to the guidance mode. No "and can maintain the interlocking mode. This is only an example, and even if the same gesture is input, it can be set to another command.

Next, the terminal control unit 230 controls the visually impaired person to search for a route to a desired destination in the navigation mode.

Specifically, the terminal control unit 230 can set a destination from the guardian after the visually impaired person calls the guardian, and can control the visually impaired person to retrieve the guidance information from the current position to the destination. At this time, the terminal control unit 230 can control the blind person to search for a path to a destination set based on the position of the blind person measured by the position recognition unit 240 when a desired destination is set.

Various techniques may be used for the position recognition unit 240 to grasp the position of the user. In the present invention, a GPS technique is used to receive a satellite signal from a GPS satellite and confirm the position of the terminal 200, but the position recognition technique is not limited to GPS.

Specifically, the location recognition unit 240 receives the current location information of the terminal 200 from the GPS satellite in real time. When the destination information desired by the visually impaired person is received, the location recognition unit 240 searches for the location information of the received destination, and based on the latitude and longitude information, The path according to the hardness information can be searched.

The speaker 250 outputs sound generated from the terminal 200.

Specifically, the speaker 250 can provide the obstacle and the moving direction information received from the smart walking assist device 100 by voice, and a guidance voice for guiding the destination to the destination set by the visually impaired person can be provided have.

5 is a block diagram illustrating the functionality of an application for providing guidance to the visually impaired.

5, the application 400 of the smart walking assistant device 100 may include a main unit 410, a data communication unit 420, a TTS unit 430, A management unit 440 and a UI 450.

The main unit 410 controls all operations occurring in the application 400.

Specifically, the main unit 410 controls the execution and termination of the operations of the data communication unit 420, the TTS unit 430, the position management unit 440, and the UI unit 450 according to the gesture input to the application .

The data communication unit 420 takes charge of communication between the smart walking assistant device 100 and the terminal 200.

Specifically, the data communication unit 420 may attempt to establish a communication connection with the smart walking aid 100 through Wifi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, or the like, and may be connected to wireless communication through authentication information transmission for connection or the like.

The data communication unit 420 receives the position and direction information of the obstacle measured from the sensor unit 120 of the smart walking assistant device 100 when the data communication unit 420 is connected to the smart walking assist device 100.

The TTS unit 430 converts text to speech as Text to Speech. Accordingly, the TTS unit 430 can convert the characters defined in the application into the voice and output the characters defined by the gesture of the visually impaired person. In addition, when the guidance information is generated, the information can be converted into speech and provided to the visually impaired person as speech.

The location management unit 440 receives location information from the location recognition unit 240 of the terminal 200. In addition, the location management unit 440 may measure the latitude and longitude of the current location where the blind is located, and the latitude and longitude of the destination set by the blind. The directional angle from the current position to the destination can be calculated based on the measured latitude and longitude of the current position and the destination, and a relational expression for this is shown in Equation 1.

Equation 1

The position management unit 440 measures a moving direction angle of the visually impaired person from the sensor unit 120 of the smart walking assist device 100 and calculates a direction angle from the sensor unit 120 to the destination, Measure the angle of deviation.

For example, if the direction of the blind person deviating from the standard is judged to be in the normal direction to the range of less than ± 20 °, and it is judged that the direction is deviated to the left or right to the range of more than ± 20 ° and less than ± 90 °, . In addition, if the direction of the visually impaired person exceeds ± 90 ° from the standard, a danger warning is issued, and the direction and the angle information are guided again so that the visually impaired person can change the route so that the visually impaired person can safely arrive at the destination.

The UI unit 450 is a screen displayed on the terminal, and a gesture by a blind person is inputted. Depending on the input gesture, the changed mode and various information can be output.

As described above, the smart walking assist device of the present invention is configured as an accessory type that is easy to wear and hold, and is easy to wear and hold without blindness due to weather and seasons, So that it can be used conveniently by the visually impaired.

In particular, the smart walking assist device of the present invention is operated in various modes through a simple gesture for a terminal possessed by a visually impaired person, and is controllable, so that the convenience of use is excellent.

Further, the smart walking assist device of the present invention can detect an obstacle located in the periphery of a visually impaired person and warn about a danger that may occur to the visually impaired person, thereby avoiding the danger, so that the visually impaired person can walk safely.

In addition, the smart walking assistance system of the present invention guards a safe route to a destination desired by the visually impaired person so that the visually impaired person can safely walk to the destination.

Hereinafter, a mode operation method 600 of the smart walking assist system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a mode operation method of a smart walking assist system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mode operation method 600 of the smart walking assist system according to the present embodiment includes a step S601 of operating the independent mode, a step S602 of determining a connection between the smart walking assistant device and the terminal S602, Step S603 of judging input of the gesture, step S604 of judging input of the gesture, and step S605 of operating the guidance mode.

First, the smart walking assist system 10 operates in the independent mode (step S601).

Here, the independent mode operates only the smart walking assist device 100, and detects obstacles located at the front, left and right sides of the visually impaired person through the sensor unit 120 provided in the smart walking assist device 100, It is a mode in which the sound is generated according to the position and direction in which the obstacle is sensed and can warn the visually impaired.

For example, if it is determined that an obstacle is detected within 1 m in the stand-alone mode walking assist device 100, a beep sound may be generated at intervals of 3 seconds, and if it is determined that the obstacle is detected within 50 cm, Sound of beep sound may occur, and if the obstacle is judged to be very close to the blind within 20 cm, a beep sound is generated at intervals of 1 second so that the blind person can recognize the distance of the obstacle by sound alone It can detect danger.

Next, the connection between the smart walking aid and the terminal is determined (step S602).

Specifically, the smart walking assist device 100 may attempt wireless communication with the terminal 200 by using functions such as Wifi, Bluetooth, and Zigbee.

Next, if it is determined in step S602 that the terminal 200 is connected, the interlocking mode operates (step S603).

Specifically, in the interlocking mode, all the information generated and sensed by the smart walking assist device 100 is transmitted to the terminal 200 via the wireless communication, and the distance and direction of the obstacle are voiced .

That is, the interworking mode can provide all information received from the smart walking assistant device 100 in the terminal 200 as a voice instead of a buzzer, thereby providing information to the visually impaired.

For example, by checking the power remaining amount information of the smart walking assistance device and the terminal, the smart walking assist device and the terminal are informed through the speaker 250 whenever the remaining power is 50%, 30% 20% .

Next, the input of the gesture is judged (step S604).

At this time, the guiding mode can be changed according to the gesture input to the terminal 200 in the interlocking mode, so that the terminal 200 can determine the preset touch method or the touch holding time.

For example, the gesture set for operating the guidance mode can be set by touching the touch screen 220 with three fingers. At this time, if the blind person touches the touch screen 220 with three fingers, the terminal control unit 230 can determine whether three multi-touch points are input from the touch screen 220 for a predetermined time or more, .

Next, if it is determined in step S604 that the predetermined gesture is input, the guidance mode is operated (step S605).

Specifically, the location recognition unit 240 of the terminal 200 receives the current location information of the terminal 200 from the GPS satellite.

At this time, if the guardian remotely sets the destination information desired by the visually impaired person through the application 400 of the terminal 200, the current position of the visually impaired person is identified through the position recognition unit 240, And search for a route to a destination desired by the visually impaired based on the search.

That is, the terminal 200 of the visually impaired person provides the guidance to the destination set by the blind based on the destination information received from the guardian, so that the visually impaired person can arrive at the destination with a more accurate and safe route .

Hereinafter, a gesture input method 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a gesture input method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The gesture input method 700 of this embodiment includes a step of inputting a gesture by a blind person (S701), a step of determining an input gesture (S702), a step of performing a mode change or operation (S703) corresponding to a gesture, . ≪ / RTI >

First, a blind person can input a gesture to the terminal 200 (step S701).

Here, the gestures that the blind can input can be distinguished according to the touch method or the touch holding time.

Next, the input gesture is determined (step S702).

Specifically, the gesture may include various forms such as a multi-touch, a repeated touch, and a touch holding time of two or more points on the touch screen 220 of the terminal 200. For example, the multi-touch may be composed of 1 point to 5 points or more, and the repeated touch may be performed by repeating the same key input two or more times, and the touch holding time may be maintained for the same key input for several seconds or more can do.

Next, a mode change or operation is performed corresponding to the gesture (step S703).

That is, the smart walking assist system 10 can operate due to a gesture inputted by the blind person.

For example, when the smart walking assist system 10 is changed from the interlocking mode to the guidance mode, it is determined whether the touch is continuously maintained for a predetermined time, If the touch holding time is shortly inputted twice, it is judged as 'No' and the interlocking mode can be maintained. This is only an example, and even if the same gesture is input, it can be set to another command.

Hereinafter, a method 800 for providing a route guidance of a smart walking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 schematically shows a method of providing a route guidance of a smart walking assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The method 800 of providing a route guidance of the smart walking assist system in this embodiment includes a step of requesting a guardian for a destination (S801), a search for a destination desired by the visually impaired person (S802), a route to the destination (Step S803), providing a route guidance to a destination (S804), and transmitting the information to the guardian (S805).

First, a destination is requested to the guardian in the guidance mode (step S801).

Specifically, the setting of the destination desired by the visually impaired person can be set so that the visually impaired person can inform the destination through the communication with the guardian, and the application can be operated from the remote guardian at this time.

Next, the visually impaired person performs a desired destination search and route confirmation (step S802).

Specifically, a guardian can search for a desired destination of a visually impaired person in an application, determine whether the route provided by the application is a safe route to provide visually impaired persons with information on the danger and obstacle, To the terminal 200.

Next, the route to the destination is received (step S803).

That is, the visually impaired person can receive the safe route from the guardian to the destination, so that the visually impaired person can walk on a stable path.

Next, route guidance to the destination is provided (step S804).

Specifically, the terminal 200 of the visually impaired person provides voice guidance to the destination set by the visually impaired based on the destination information received from the guardian so that the visually impaired person can arrive at the destination with a more accurate and safe route do.

Next, information is transmitted to the guardian (step S805).

That is, the information is updated in the application 400 according to the motion of the blind person, and the information is transmitted to the guardian. Therefore, the guardian can confirm the information of the blind person through the application in real time.

In this way, the smart walking aid device of the present invention is configured as an accessory type that is easy to wear and carry, and is easy to wear and hold without blindness due to the weather and seasons, and is suitable for a smartphone Since it operates in conjunction with the terminal, it can be used conveniently by the visually impaired.

In particular, the smart walking assist device of the present invention is operated in various modes through a simple gesture irrespective of a touch position of a terminal held by a visually impaired person, and is controllable, thus being excellent in convenience of use.

In addition, the smart walking assist device of the present invention detects obstacles located in the periphery of a visually impaired person and warns about a danger that may occur to a visually impaired person so as to be avoided, thereby enabling a visually impaired person to walk safely.

In addition, the smart walking assistance system of the present invention enables a guardian of a visually impaired person to remotely identify a desired destination of a visually impaired person and guide a safe route so that a visually impaired person can safely walk to a destination.

10: Smart walking assistance system
100: Smart walking aiding device 110: Wireless communication part
120: sensor unit 130:
140: power supply unit 150: sound generating unit
160: Memory part 200: Visually impaired terminal
210: communication unit 220: touch screen
230: terminal control unit 240:
250: speaker 300: protector terminal
400: application 410: main part
420: Data communication unit 430: TTS unit
440: Position management unit 450: UI unit

Claims (10)

A smart walking assistance device operated in conjunction with a terminal of a visually impaired person,
A wireless communication unit for wirelessly communicating with the terminal;
A sensor unit for detecting an obstacle surrounding the visually impaired person;
A controller for controlling overall operation of the smart walking assistance device;
A power supply unit for supplying power to the smart walking aid;
An acoustic generator; And
A memory unit for storing information generated by the smart walking aid;
, ≪ / RTI &
When the terminal is interlocked with the terminal, transmits the obstacle information detected by the sensor unit to the terminal,
Wherein the sound generating unit generates sound according to the obstacle information when it is not interlocked with the terminal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the sound generator generates a sound according to a position and a direction of the obstacle. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the smart walking assistance device is formed in the form of a necklace or an armband. A terminal interlocked with a smart walking aiding device,
A communication unit for communicating with the smart walking assist device;
A touch screen in which a gesture of the blind is inputted;
A position recognition unit for recognizing the position of the visually impaired person; And
A speaker for outputting voice guidance;
, ≪ / RTI &
And when the peripheral obstacle information is received from the interlocking smart walking assist device, the obstacle information is voiced to the visually impaired person. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the number of touch points of the gesture input and the touch holding time are determined regardless of the touch position from the touch screen. 5. The method of claim 4,
And switches to the guidance mode according to the gesture input by the visually impaired person. The method according to claim 6,
The navigation mode
Guidance guidance information corresponding to the movement route between the set start point and the destination is voiced,
Wherein the intelligent navigation device further announces information corresponding to peripheral obstacle information from the interlocked smart walking assist device by voice. In a smart walking assistance system,
A smart walking assist device for detecting an obstacle located in the vicinity of the visually impaired, And
A terminal interlocked with the smart walking assistance device to provide an interlocking mode to the smart walking assistance device and further provide a guidance mode according to a predetermined touch input of the visually impaired person;
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the smart walking assistance device operates in one of an independent mode, an interlocking mode, and a guidance mode in cooperation with the terminal. 9. The method of claim 8,
The interlocking mode
Receiving obstacle information from the smart walking assistance device,
And provides the information corresponding to the received obstacle information as a voice. 9. The method of claim 8,
The navigation mode
Guiding information corresponding to the travel route of the departure place and the destination set through the departure place and the destination confirming procedure with the predetermined guardian,
Wherein the intelligent walking assist system further provides information corresponding to peripheral obstacle information from the interlocked smart walking assistance device by voice.

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