KR20210004730A - A cane with various functions - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multi-functional stick. The multi-functional stick comprises: a motion part provided on a handle and including a first piezoelectric element which generates electricity by pressure generated according to the hand motion of a user; a second piezoelectric element provided on a lower portion of a support part and generating electricity by pressure generated when the support part is in contact with the ground; a battery accommodated in an internal space of a body and charged with electricity generated by at least one of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element; a lighting module accommodated in the internal space of the body and emitting light through electricity charged in the battery; an illuminance sensor installed on an outer surface of the body and generating a first sensing value by sensing the ambient illuminance of the user; and a control part accommodated in the internal space of the body and controlling on/off operations of the lighting module by using the first sensing value generated by the illuminance sensor. According to the present invention, it is possible to stably assist in the walking of a user.

Description

{A cane with various functions}

The present invention relates to a multifunctional cane, and more particularly, to a multifunctional cane for stably assisting the user's walking by adding various functions to the cane.

A cane is a stick that is used to help people walk, and it plays a role in assisting the walking of a person who is difficult to walk properly with the body's own strength. These canes are mainly used for elderly people whose leg or lower back muscle strength has decreased due to aging and injured persons with injuries to their legs or lower back, but there are obstacles when walking by blind people who cannot accurately recognize objects due to eye disorders. It is also used to identify.

In particular, the blind person relies on a general cane when walking. In this case, the obstacles existing in the front and the condition of the road surface cannot be recognized in advance, and thus, they suffer a lot of difficulty when walking.

Most visually impaired people can detect obstacles in front of them only through actions such as stuttering a cane. For this reason, since it is difficult for the visually impaired to recognize obstacles, not only are they exposed to the risk that an accident may occur while walking, but also there is a problem in that they are easily tired because they have to keep stuttering the cane.

Therefore, in order to solve this problem, a cane for the visually impaired, which can detect an obstacle while walking, and recognize information on the detected obstacle and notify the user, is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below.

Patent Document 1 relates to a cane for the visually impaired with a wristband, an obstacle detection sensor that detects a surrounding obstacle, a direction detection sensor that detects the direction in which the obstacle detection sensor is disposed, and an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection sensor. In this case, it is determined whether or not the obstacle is moving in consideration of the moving speed and direction of movement of the visually impaired cane, and when it is determined that the obstacle is moving, in which direction the different obstacle is detected using the direction sensor. Communication for transmitting the sensing information to the user terminal by communicating with a control device for determining detection information and generating sensing information, a lighting device provided in plural on the wristband and emitting light in a predetermined pattern according to the sensing information, and a user terminal It consists of a module.

Such a cane for the visually impaired can inform the direction, number, distance, etc. of the obstacles formed through different patterns of vibration, and can provide specific information about the obstacles, and can provide information about the obstacles independently measured with nearby users. Since it can be shared, there is an advantage in that it is possible to more efficiently identify obstacles located in the vicinity. However, when an emergency situation occurs to a user, it is difficult to cope with the emergency situation.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1898582 (September 07, 2018)

Accordingly, the present invention has been proposed in order to solve the problems occurring in the prior art as described above, and provides a multifunctional wand for stably assisting the user's walking by adding various functions.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multifunctional cane that allows a user to increase grip strength and muscle strength through hand movement.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a multifunctional wand capable of detecting nearby obstacles and notifying the user of the detected obstacles.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a user with a multifunctional wand capable of notifying the user's physical condition when an emergency situation arrives.

In order to achieve the above-described task, the multifunctional cane according to the present invention includes a handle of a certain shape, a body coupled to the lower portion of the handle and formed with holes at regular intervals, and a support part coupled to the lower portion of the body to support the ground. Includes, and is provided on the handle, the exercise unit including a first piezoelectric element for generating electricity by the pressure generated according to the user's hand motion; A second piezoelectric element provided under the support portion and generating electricity by pressure generated when the support portion contacts the ground; A battery accommodated in the inner space of the body to charge electricity generated by at least one of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element; A lighting module accommodated in the inner space of the body and emitting light through electricity charged in the battery; An illuminance sensor installed on the outer surface of the body and detecting a user's ambient illuminance to generate a first sensing value; And a controller accommodated in the inner space of the body and controlling an on/off operation of the lighting module using the first sensing value generated by the illuminance sensor.

In addition, the handle has a groove of a predetermined shape formed on one side of the lower portion, the movement portion a first handle portion provided in the lower inner side of the handle; An elastic member coupled to one end of the first handle portion through the groove and providing an elastic force; And a second handle portion connected to the first handle portion through the elastic member to allow mutual access and separation movement. Including, the first piezoelectric element is provided on the inner upper portion of the handle, characterized in that the generation of electricity by pressure generated by the user's palm as the user's finger operates the second handle.

In addition, the body includes an obstacle detection unit; And a notification unit, wherein the obstacle detection unit is installed on an outer surface of the body, and generates a second sensing value by sensing a surrounding obstacle, and the control unit uses the second sensing value generated from the obstacle detection unit. It determines the presence or absence of a nearby obstacle, outputs a notification signal when it is determined that there is an obstacle, and the notification unit notifies the user of the presence of the obstacle by sound according to the notification signal output from the controller, and the battery is controlled by the controller. In accordance with, it is characterized in that power is supplied to the notification unit.

In addition, the handle includes a heart rate detector configured to detect a user's heart rate and generate a third sensing value, and the controller receives the third sensing value from the heart rate sensing unit, and receives the received third sensing value in advance. Compared with a set set value, when the third sensing value does not meet the set value, it is determined as an emergency situation and outputs a first emergency signal, or the third sensing value is received for a predetermined period of time or more while receiving the third sensing value. When the sensing value is not detected, it is determined as an emergency situation and outputs a second emergency signal, and the notification unit outputs the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal when the control unit outputs the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal. It characterized in that it outputs the sound according to the second emergency signal.

As described above, according to the multifunctional cane according to the present invention, since the user can increase the grip strength and muscle strength through hand movement, the user's health can be improved.

In addition, since it is possible to detect nearby obstacles and inform the user of the detected obstacle, the disabled can use it, not the elderly, and stable walking can be achieved through the identification of the obstacle.

In addition, when an emergency situation arrives to the user, the user's physical condition can be notified to the surroundings, so that the user's safety can be improved.

1 is a front view of a multifunctional cane according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exemplary view schematically showing the internal configuration of the multi-functional cane according to the present invention.
Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a multi-functional cane according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those of ordinary skill in the art can easily implement them.

It should be noted that, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numbers are used as much as possible when indicating the same configuration in other drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or a known configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, certain features presented in the drawings are enlarged or reduced or simplified for ease of description, and the drawings and components thereof are not necessarily drawn to scale.

However, those skilled in the art will readily understand these details.

In addition, hereinafter, terms indicating directions such as'left','right','forward','rear','upward' and'downward' indicate each direction based on the state shown in each drawing. define.

1 is a front view of a multifunctional cane according to the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, the multi-functional wand 10 according to the present invention is composed of a handle 100, a body 200 and a support 300.

The handle 100 is a part that the user grips to use the cane, and the body 200 is coupled to the lower part of one side. Such a handle is formed in a certain shape, for example, may be made in a rectangular shape as shown in the drawing, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, it may be formed in various shapes such as'T', and it is preferable to be formed in a shape convenient for the user to grip. In addition, the handle 100 may be provided with an exercise unit 110 on one side of the user's hand movement. The exercise unit 110 will be described in more detail below.

The body 200 is formed in the form of a long rod, the handle 100 is coupled to the upper end, and the support part 300 is provided at the lower end. Holes H are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the body 200 at regular intervals. Here, the hole H formed on the outer circumferential surface of the body 200 is shown in a circular shape in the drawing, but this is only an example for convenience of description, and any shape if it is a shape for efficiently projecting light from the lighting module 220 to be described later. This doesn't matter. On the other hand, the lighting module 220 will be described in more detail below.

The support part 300 is a part that contacts the ground when the user uses a cane, and is coupled to the lower end of the body 200. In the support part 300, a second piezoelectric element 310 that generates electricity by pressure generated when the wand contacts the ground is provided at the lower end. In the drawings, only one second piezoelectric element 310 is provided, but this is only an example for convenience of description, and an embodiment including several is possible.

In this case, when a plurality of second piezoelectric elements 310 are provided, a plurality of separators for mutual insulation may be provided between each of the second piezoelectric elements 310.

Figure 2 is an exemplary view schematically showing the internal configuration of the multi-functional cane according to the present invention.

2, the handle 100 is provided with an exercise unit 110.

Here, the exercise unit 110 allows a user using a cane to increase grip strength and muscle strength through hand movement. This exercise unit 110 generates electricity by using the pressure applied to the upper portion of the handle 110 according to the user's hand motion. To this end, the exercise unit 110 includes a first piezoelectric element 111, a first handle 112, an elastic member 113, and a second handle 114.

The first piezoelectric element 111 is provided on the inner upper portion of the handle 100, and generates electricity by the user's hand motion, that is, pressure generated as the user manipulates the exercise unit. Specifically, as the user's finger operates the second handle portion 114, the user's palm presses the upper portion of the handle 100, and the pressure generated at this time generates electricity.

The first piezoelectric element 111 may use any one of various known piezoelectric elements. For example, the first piezoelectric element 111 used in the present invention is disposed on a portion of the handle 100 to which the user's palm is gripped, and a piezoelectric element having a function capable of sensing the pressure of the palm may be used. .

The first handle part 112 is provided on the inner lower part of the handle 110 and is connected to the second handle 114 by an elastic member 113. It is preferable that the first handle part 112 is rigidly fixed to the inside of the handle 110 so that the second handle 114 can access and move apart from each other.

In this case, the fixing method may be a method such as bolting, but is not limited thereto and various known fixing methods may be used.

The first handle part 112 is preferably made of a material having rigidity, but may be made of, for example, carbon in order to reduce the total weight of the cane 10.

The elastic member 113 is coupled to each end of the first handle portion 112 and the second handle portion 114, and provides an elastic force. To this end, the elastic member 113 is formed by bending a metal having a predetermined thickness. The elastic member 113 is connected to a circularly bent portion to provide elasticity, a portion connected to the circularly bent portion and inserted into the first handle portion 112, and the circularly bent portion It consists of a portion inserted into the inside of the second handle (114).

On the other hand, although not shown in detail in the drawings, a groove of a certain shape is formed on one side of the lower end of the handle 100 so that the elastic member 113 can connect the first handle portion 112 and the second handle portion 114 . For this reason, the elastic member 113 is disposed on the same line as the bottom surface of the handle 100, and one end protrudes from the groove to connect the first handle part 112 and the second handle part 114.

The second handle part 114 becomes a part wrapped by a finger when the user performs hand movement using the exercise part 100. The second handle portion 114 is connected to the first handle portion 112 through an elastic member 113 to enable mutual access and separation movement. The second handle part 114 is preferably made of a material having rigidity like the first handle part 112, but may be made of, for example, carbon to reduce the total weight of the cane 10. At this time, it is preferable that the second handle portion 114 is made of a material such as urethane outside in order to give the user a comfortable feeling and prevent slipping. In addition, although the second handle part 114 is shown in a square shape in the drawing, this is only an example for convenience of explanation. When the user performs hand movement, four grooves corresponding to the user's fingers are formed to each You can make your fingers contact the grooves. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the finger from slipping when the user performs hand movement.

Therefore, since the user can use the cane 10 and perform muscle strength exercise through the exercise unit 110, health is improved.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing a multi-functional cane according to the present invention.

2 and 3, the multifunctional wand 10 according to the present invention is provided with a battery 210, a lighting module 220, a control unit 240, and a communication unit 270 in the body 200, An illuminance sensor 230, an obstacle detecting unit 250, and a notification unit 260 are provided outside. In addition, a heart rate detector 120 is provided inside the handle 100.

The battery 210 supplies the stored power to the lighting module 220 and the notification unit 260 under the control of the controller 240. The battery 210 may be configured as a secondary battery that can be charged by receiving power from the outside, or may be configured as a mixture of a secondary battery and a replaceable battery.

On the other hand, the battery 210 can charge electricity generated from the first piezoelectric element 111 and the second piezoelectric element 310 in addition to external power, but the first piezoelectric element 111 and the second piezoelectric element 310 The electricity generated in may be directly supplied to the lighting module 220 and the notification unit 260.

The lighting module 220 is accommodated in the inner space of the body 200 and emits light through electricity charged in the battery 210. The lighting module 220 is for notifying the user's location or providing a smooth way to the user when walking at night. For example, the lighting module 220 may be implemented as a ring type LED including a light emitting diode.

That is, as the lighting module 220 is disposed adjacent to a position corresponding to the hole H formed in the body 200, it projects light to provide a sufficient amount of light around the user of the cane. Therefore, the multifunctional wand 10 according to the present invention can prevent a safety accident in advance in which the user collides with an obstacle, and can recognize that there is a person in the vicinity, so that the vehicle or people can avoid it in advance. I can.

Meanwhile, a protection means may be provided on the outer surface of the lighting module 220 so as not to be damaged by an external impact. Here, it is preferable to use a protective means having high light transmission properties, and various means capable of protecting the LED can be used. Further, the lighting module 220 may include a switch that receives or cuts power according to the control of the controller 240.

The illuminance sensor 230 is installed outside the body 200, detects the user's ambient illuminance to generate a first sensing value, and transmits the generated first sensing value to the controller 240. Here, the first sensing value may mean a value generated by detecting whether the user's surroundings are bright or dark. Such an illuminance sensor 230 may be implemented as an optical sensor, for example, and the controller 240 may be used to determine whether to turn on or off the lighting module 220 as the ambient illuminance of the wand is detected.

The controller 240 is accommodated in the inner space of the body 200 and controls the notification unit 260 through sensing values generated from the illuminance sensor 230, the obstacle detection unit 250, and the heart rate detection unit 120. . Specifically, the controller 240 controls the on-off operation of the lighting module 220 by comparing a first sensing value generated from the illuminance sensor 230 with a first preset value stored in advance. Here, the first set value may be defined as a preset illuminance value to control the on-off operation of the lighting module 220. Accordingly, when walking at night is confirmed through the illuminance sensor 230, the control unit 240 controls and turns on the lighting module 220.

The obstacle detection unit 250 detects surrounding obstacles and generates a second sensing value. The obstacle detection unit 250 may be implemented as an ultrasonic sensor for measuring a distance to an object in a non-contact manner, and may be installed on one side of the outer surface of the body 200 so as to face a specific direction. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it does not matter what location is installed as long as it is a position for efficiently detecting surrounding obstacles from the cane, and the type and quantity may vary in order to efficiently detect the surrounding obstacles.

On the other hand, the obstacle detection unit 250 has been described as an example that is implemented as an ultrasonic sensor, but this is not limited to the present invention, and is implemented as one of various sensors that detect surrounding objects such as an infrared sensor, a laser sensor, and a lidar sensor. Can be.

On the other hand, the control unit 240 determines the presence or absence of a nearby obstacle using the second sensing value generated from the obstacle detection unit 250, and outputs a notification signal when it is determined that there is an obstacle. Specifically, the control unit 240 compares the second sensing value generated by the obstacle detection unit 250 with a pre-stored second set value, and then calculates the distance to the surrounding obstacles to determine whether there is an obstacle in a position close to the wand. And, when it is determined that there is an obstacle as a result of the determination, a notification signal is output to control the notification unit 260. Here, the second set value may be defined as a reference value or a comparison value for calculating a distance to an obstacle sensed by the obstacle detection unit 250.

Furthermore, in order for the controller 240 to more accurately determine the presence or absence of nearby obstacles, various sensors such as a direction sensor (not shown) and a gyro sensor (not shown) may be further provided in the internal storage space of the body 200. have.

The notification unit 260 serves to notify the user of the presence or absence of an obstacle by sound according to a notification signal output from the control unit 240. The notification unit 260 may be implemented as a speaker, and may be installed on one side of the outer surface of the body 200 to face a specific direction.

In this case, the sound output from the notification unit 260 may be a pre-stored sound, and the target may be a user or people around him. That is, the notification unit 260 may be implemented as a speaker when simultaneously outputting sound to nearby people and users, and when providing sound only to the user without notifying the surrounding people, the notification unit 260 may be implemented through short-range wireless communication such as wired earphones and Bluetooth. It can also be implemented as a connected wireless earphone.

In addition, the notification unit 260 may change the intensity of the sound output according to the distance to the obstacle calculated by the control unit 240. That is, the sound output from the notification unit 260 may be applied differently according to a distance of a high or low sound or a bit sound having a predetermined period for quick recognition of the user. For example, when it is determined that there is an obstacle at a close distance, it may be repeatedly generated by a sound having a higher pitch range or a beat sound having a faster period than when it is determined that the obstacle is far away.

Meanwhile, although it has been described that the notification unit 260 outputs sound, the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the notification unit 260 may be implemented as a vibration device (not shown) and installed on the handle 100, and may notify the user of the presence or absence of surrounding obstacles through vibration. When the notification unit 260 is implemented as a vibration device (not shown), it is preferable to configure the setting method differently according to the vibration method or frequency.

When the cane falls, the notification unit 260 may output a pre-stored sound so that the surrounding people can recognize it. Here, the pre-stored sound may be stored in the control unit 240, for example, may be a pre-designated voice message.

The notification unit 260 may receive power from the battery 210 under the control of the controller 240.

The heart rate detector 120 detects the user's heart rate and generates a third sensing value, and is implemented as a general heart rate sensor. Here, the third sensing value may be defined as a value obtained by digitizing the heart rate of the user of the cane 10 and is transmitted to the controller 240.

Specifically, the heart rate detection unit 120 is generally installed on the inside of the handle 100 to measure heart rate information detected on the entire palm of the user who uses the cane 10.

However, in this case, the user must continuously grasp the handle, and in the present invention, there are restrictions in the case of hand movement through the exercise unit 110.

Accordingly, the heart rate detection unit 120 may be installed at a predetermined position on the inner upper portion of the handle 100 to be implemented to measure heart rate information sensed by the user's thumb.

On the other hand, the control unit 240 receives the third sensing value from the heart rate detector 120, compares the received third sensing value with a preset setting value (hereinafter, referred to as a third setting value), so that the third sensing value is If the third set value is not satisfied, it is determined as an emergency situation and the first emergency signal is output, or if the third sensing value is not detected for a certain period of time while receiving the third sensing value, it is determined as an emergency situation and 2 Emergency signal can be output. Here, the third set value may be defined as a reference value or a comparison value for determining the health state of the user, and may be stored in the controller 240.

On the other hand, when the third sensing value does not satisfy the third set value, it may be understood that the health condition of the user is deteriorating. In addition, the first emergency signal may be defined as an emergency situation including a user's health condition.

In addition, when the third sensing value is not detected, it may be understood that an emergency situation such as cardiac arrest has occurred, for example, and an emergency situation caused by this may be defined as a second emergency signal.

In this way, when the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal is output from the control unit 240, the notification unit 260 outputs a sound according to the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal. .

In this case, the sound output from the notification unit 260 may be differentiated and output according to the first emergency signal and the second emergency signal. For example, in the case of the first emergency signal, a message such as "The user's health is not good" is output, and in the case of the second emergency signal, "an emergency situation has occurred." You can print the same comment.

To this end, it is preferable that the above-described voice comments are stored in advance in the control unit 240, and since the above-described voice comments are described as an example, various comments according to the situation can be applied.

In addition, the control unit 240 may use the communication unit 270 to transmit the emergency situation to a predetermined contact number as a result of the determination as an emergency situation.

Here, the communication unit 270 is made of a communication module capable of communicating with external devices, and may be embedded in the body 200. The communication unit 270 may transmit an emergency situation to a predetermined contact information using any one of LTE, LORA, and NB-IOT, which are long-distance communication modules, and WIFI, Bluetooth, and ZigBee, which are short-range communication modules.

Here, the pre-designated contact information may be defined as, for example, a medical institution or a responsible institution that the user of the cane 10 mainly attends.

Therefore, the multi-functional wand 10 according to the present invention can inform the user of the user's physical condition to the outside when an emergency situation arrives, so that the user's safety can be improved.

Although the invention made by the present inventors has been described in detail according to the above embodiments, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

10: multifunctional stick 100: handle
110: exercise unit 111: first piezoelectric element
112: first handle part 113: elastic member
114: second handle portion 120: heart rate detection portion
200: body 210: battery
220: lighting module 230: illuminance sensor
240: control unit 250: obstacle detection unit
260: notification unit 270: communication unit
300: support 310: second piezoelectric element
H: Hall

Claims (4)

In a cane comprising a handle of a certain shape, a body coupled to a lower portion of the handle and formed with holes at regular intervals, and a support portion coupled to the lower portion of the body to support the ground,
An exercise unit including a first piezoelectric element provided on the handle and generating electricity by pressure generated according to a user's hand motion;
A second piezoelectric element provided under the support portion and generating electricity by pressure generated when the support portion contacts the ground;
A battery accommodated in the inner space of the body to charge electricity generated by at least one of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element;
A lighting module accommodated in the inner space of the body and emitting light through electricity charged in the battery;
An illuminance sensor installed on the outer surface of the body and detecting a user's ambient illuminance to generate a first sensing value; And
And a control unit that is accommodated in the inner space of the body and controls an on/off operation of the lighting module by using the first sensing value generated by the illuminance sensor. In claim 1, the handle
A groove of a certain shape is formed on one side of the lower part,
The exercise part
A first handle provided on the lower inner side of the handle;
An elastic member coupled to one end of the first handle portion through the groove and providing an elastic force; And
A second handle portion connected to the first handle portion through the elastic member to allow mutual access and separation movement; Including,
The first piezoelectric element
A multifunctional wand, characterized in that it is provided on the upper inner side of the handle, and generates electricity by pressure generated by the user's palm as the user's finger operates the second handle. In claim 1, the body
Obstacle detection unit; And
Including a notification unit,
The obstacle detector detects surrounding obstacles and generates a second sensing value,
The control unit determines the presence or absence of the surrounding obstacle using the second sensing value generated from the obstacle detection unit, and outputs a notification signal when it is determined that there is the obstacle,
The notification unit is a multi-function wand, characterized in that in accordance with the notification signal output from the control unit to notify the user of the presence or absence of the obstacle by sound. In claims 1 to 3, the handle is
Including a heart rate detector for detecting a user's heart rate and generating a third sensing value,
The control unit
The third sensing value is received from the heart rate detector, the received third sensing value is compared with a preset set value, and if the third sensing value does not meet the set value, it is determined as an emergency situation. 1 Output an emergency signal, or
If the third sensing value is not detected for more than a certain period while receiving the third sensing value, it is determined as an emergency and outputs a second emergency signal,
The notification unit
When the control unit outputs the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal, a multifunctional wand, characterized in that for outputting a sound according to the first emergency signal or the second emergency signal.

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