KR20220061311A - Smart stick - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a smart cane. The present invention detects obstacles in the front and upward directions of the front as well as in a ground direction according to the movement of the visually impaired, and then transmits the detection of the obstacles to the visually impaired by voice or vibration, while automatically notifying the guardian of the emergency when an emergency occurs. Accordingly, the smart cane induces safe walking for the visually impaired and prevents secondary damage while enabling relief measures for the visually impaired in an emergency to be carried out more quickly.

Description

smart stick {Smart stick}

The present invention relates to a walking stick for the visually impaired, and more particularly, after detecting an obstacle on a moving path, delivering it to the blind user who is the cane user to induce safe walking, and automatically notifying the guardian when an emergency situation occurs for the visually impaired walking It is about a smart wand that makes it possible.

In general, since the visually impaired cannot recognize surrounding information through sight, when the visually impaired move, information on the ground of the movement route is obtained using a walking stick for the visually impaired, or guide blocks installed on crosswalks or pedestrian paths And using Braille boards attached to the walls of stairs or entrances, etc., it is possible to move while obtaining information about the surroundings.

However, it is difficult to identify the exact movement path using only a stick in a state where objects cannot be identified, and it is difficult to determine the exact situation, which can expose you to many risks, even if a guide block is installed or a braille board is attached. It takes a considerable amount of time to find the actual guide block and the braille board, and it is difficult to find it, so the utility is low.

Accordingly, in the prior art, a number of canes for the visually impaired have been disclosed, which provide convenience to the visually impaired and enable them to recognize the surrounding situation in detail.

That is, the disclosed prior art is a walking stick for the visually impaired that detects the curvature of the ground and/or detects an obstacle through an ultrasonic sensor by providing an optical sensor to the lower side of the cane body extending downward from the handle to be mounted by the user. it's huge

However, the prior art as described above can provide convenience when walking because it can detect the obstacle protruding from the ground and notify that there are bends and obstacles on the ground. There was still a problem in that accidents that collide with obstacles occur frequently.

In addition, the above prior art is not equipped with a function of delivering the emergency situation to the guardian when an emergency situation (eg, collision accident, etc.) occurs to a visually impaired person with a cane.

Registered Patent Publication No. 10-0615670 (published on August 25, 2006) Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-2011-0085242 (published on July 27, 2011) Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1654299 (published on September 5, 2016) Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0093255 (published on Aug. 5, 2020)

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to detect obstacles existing in the ground direction as well as in the front and the front upward direction according to the movement of the visually impaired, and then transmit it to the visually impaired by voice or vibration, while in case of an emergency A smart wand that can prevent secondary damage while inducing safe walking of the visually impaired by automatically notifying the guardian of an emergency situation, and allowing relief measures for the visually impaired in an emergency to be carried out more quickly it is intended to provide

The smart wand, which is a solution to the problems of the present invention, is configured as a safety module in the wand body having a handle, and includes: a forward detection unit that detects a front obstacle on a moving path and then transmits the detection information to the visually impaired; an upward detection unit that detects an upward obstacle on a moving path and transmits the detection information to the visually impaired; And, a gyro sensor for detecting an amount of change in posture with respect to the wand body; Including, in the wand body, through the gyro sensor, it is determined whether the amount of change in the posture of the wand body deviates from the reference value stored in the memory, and when the determination result deviates from the reference value, the communication unit controls the communication unit to set a designated number terminal emergency situation a control unit equipped with a control program for transmitting a message informing of will further include

In addition, the front detection unit, a camera that is formed on the wand body or wand handle and outputs it to the control unit after photographing an obstacle on the front side of the moving path; and a warning output unit for outputting a warning sound or voice information through a speaker when an obstacle is detected from the front image information photographed by the camera; and, the control program mounted on the control unit is configured to analyze the presence or absence of an obstacle on the front side on the moving path from the image information captured by the camera, and then control the warning output unit according to the analysis result. .

In addition, the upward detection unit, an ultrasonic sensor for detecting upward obstacles on the moving path to be formed on the wand body or the wand handle; And, a vibration motor formed on the wand body or wand handle to vibrate to notify the visually impaired when an obstacle upward on the movement path is detected by the ultrasonic sensor; will include

In addition, the wand body further includes a GPS receiver for periodically receiving location information, and the control program mounted on the control unit transmits the location information to the designated number set through the communication unit.

In addition, the wand body is configured with a power supply to which a charging/discharging battery is applied and a lighting lamp for night lighting, and the wand body has a power button for turning on or off the power supply of the power supply unit, and the front detection unit or the An operation unit including an upward detection unit or an operation button for turning on or off the lighting lamp, and a charging connector connected to the power supply unit are formed.

In addition, the designated number terminal is a terminal for a guardian of the visually impaired or a manager terminal for caring for the visually impaired.

As described above, the present invention detects obstacles present in the ground direction as well as in the front and the front upward direction according to the movement of the visually impaired, and then transmits it to the visually impaired by voice or vibration, and, when an emergency occurs, the emergency situation It is configured to automatically notify guardians, and through this, it can be expected to induce safe walking of the visually impaired and to prevent secondary damage while allowing relief measures for the visually impaired in an emergency situation to be carried out more quickly.

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

1 is a perspective view showing a smart wand structure in an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a smart wand in an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a forward obstacle detection state in an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a view showing an upward obstacle detection state according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram of a state in which an emergency message is transmitted to a designated number terminal according to the amount of change in the posture of the stick according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them, will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, in the embodiments of the technical idea of the present invention, it is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, only this embodiment makes the disclosure of the present invention complete, and the technology to which the present invention belongs It is provided to fully inform those of ordinary skill in the art the scope of the invention, and is only defined by the scope of the claims in the embodiments of the technical idea of the present invention.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase.

In the present specification, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification exists, but one or more other features It is to be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Further, the embodiments described herein will be described with reference to cross-sectional and/or plan views, which are ideal illustrative views of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific form shown, but also include necessary changes. For example, the region shown as a right angle may be rounded or have a predetermined curvature. Accordingly, the regions illustrated in the drawings have a schematic nature, and the shapes of the illustrated regions in the drawings are intended to illustrate specific shapes of regions of the device and not to limit the scope of the invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. Accordingly, the same or similar reference signs may be described with reference to other drawings, even if not mentioned or described in the drawings. In addition, although reference signs are not indicated, description may be made with reference to other drawings.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing the structure of a smart wand as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a smart wand as an embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, the smart wand according to an embodiment of the present invention constitutes a safety module (M10) in the wand body (100) having a handle (101), the safety module (M10) includes a forward detection unit 10, an upward detection unit 20, a gyro sensor 30, a control unit 40, and a power supply unit 50, in addition to a GPS receiver 60 and an illumination lamp 70 It may be configured to include more.

The forward detection unit 10 detects a forward obstacle on the movement path of the blind person with a walking stick and transmits the detection information to the visually impaired, and may include a camera 11 and a warning output unit 12 there will be

The camera 11 is formed on the wand body 100 or the wand handle 101 and outputs it to the control unit 40 after photographing an obstacle on the front side of the moving path.

The warning output unit 12 outputs a warning sound or voice information through a speaker when an obstacle is detected from the front image information photographed by the camera 11 .

At this time, a control program may be mounted on the control unit 40 , and the control program analyzes the presence or absence of an obstacle on the front side on the moving path from the image information captured by the camera 11 , and according to the analysis result It is to control the warning output unit (12).

That is, if the control program is analyzed that the front obstacle (eg, car) 301 exists as shown in FIG. 3 attached on the front side on the moving path from the image information captured by the camera 11, the control program is The program controls the warning output unit 12, and accordingly, the warning output unit 12 may output a warning sound or voice information audible to the visually impaired through a speaker (not shown).

Here, the speaker may be configured in the wand body 100 or the handle 101, and the warning sound or voice information output from the warning output unit 12 (eg, be careful as there is a front obstacle 301), etc. ) is stored in advance in the memory 41 in the control unit 40 .

In addition, in the case of the warning sound output from the warning output unit 12 , the control unit 40 may adjust the output state of the warning sound to strong or weak, which may be adjusted according to the distance to the front obstacle.

For example, if the distance between the visually impaired and the front obstacle is more than 10 m, a warning sound of a weak state is output, and when the distance between the visually impaired and the front obstacle is within the range of 5 to 10 m, a warning sound of a medium state is output, If the distance is within 5m, a warning sound of a strong state may be output, and the intensity of the warning sound output can be arbitrarily set according to the distance.

The upward detection unit 20 detects an upward obstacle 302 on the movement path of the blind person with a walking stick and transmits the detection information to the visually impaired, and an ultrasonic sensor 21 and a vibration motor 22 may include

The ultrasonic sensor 21 is formed on the wand body 100 or the wand handle 101 and is capable of detecting an upward obstacle 302 on the moving path as shown in FIG. 4 attached.

The vibration motor 22 is formed on the wand body 100 or the wand handle 101 and vibrates to notify the visually impaired when an upward obstacle 302 on the movement path is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 21 . it will drive

That is, when an upward obstacle 302 equal to or higher than the height of the eyes of the visually impaired is detected on the movement path by the ultrasonic sensor 21, the vibration motor 22 is driven according to the detection signal, and thus the vibration As the wand body 100 or the handle 101 in which the motor 22 is embedded vibrates, the visually impaired person holding the handle 101 has an upward obstacle 302 on the movement path according to the vibration. being able to recognize that you are doing it.

The gyro sensor 30 detects an amount of change in posture with respect to the wand body 100 and outputs it to the control unit 40 .

The control unit 40 determines through the gyro sensor 30 whether the amount of change in the posture of the wand body 10 deviates from the reference value stored in the memory 41, and when the determination result deviates from the reference value, the communication unit 42 The control program for transmitting a message informing of an emergency situation to the designated number terminals 200 and 200' set by controlling the .

That is, as in the attached FIG. 5 , when the visually impaired person holding the handle 101 provided on the cane body 100 and walking by an external shock or accidentally falls, the posture of the cane body 100 is changed When the gyro sensor 30 detects this and outputs it to the control unit 40 , the control program mounted on the control unit 40 compares the attitude change amount with the attitude reference value stored in the memory 41 and then Designated number terminals 200 and 200' set through the communication unit 42 and stored in the memory 41 after recognizing that the visually impaired person does not walk normally, that is, an emergency when there is a large deviation as a result of comparison to automatically send an emergency message.

Here, the designated number terminals 200 and 200' may be a guardian terminal 200 for the visually impaired and/or a manager terminal 200' for caring for the visually impaired.

The power supply unit 50 may be a rechargeable battery built into the wand body 100, and in this case, the wand body 100 has a power button (not shown) for turning on or off the power supply of the power supply unit 50. time), and an operation unit including an operation button (not shown) for turning on or off the front detection unit 10 or the upward detection unit 20 or an illumination lamp 70 to be described later, and the power supply unit 50 ) and a charging connector (not shown) connected to it may be formed.

The GPS receiver 60 is formed in the wand body 100 and periodically receives location information and then provides it to the control unit 40. Accordingly, the control program mounted on the control unit 40 is the location information. Information can be transmitted to the designated number terminals 200 and 200' set through the communication unit 42, so that the guardian or care manager who has received the emergency message can quickly dispatch to the received location. will be.

The lighting lamp 70 is configured in the wand body 100 to provide night lighting.

As such, the smart wand according to an embodiment of the present invention is, as shown in the accompanying FIGS. 1 to 5, when a visually impaired person walks through the wand body 100 while holding the wand handle 101, the wand body ( 100) or the camera 11 included in the front detection unit 10 formed in the cane handle 101 takes a picture of the front along the moving path and outputs it to the control unit 40 .

Then, the control program mounted on the control unit 40 analyzes whether a front obstacle 301 exists from the image information photographed by the camera 11, and if there is no front obstacle 301 as a result of the analysis, the front of the visually impaired Inducing movement and controlling the warning output unit 12 when the front obstacle 301 exists, the warning output unit 12 outputs a warning sound or voice through a speaker, so that the visually impaired can use the front obstacle ( 301) to avoid it.

And, the ultrasonic sensor 21 included in the upward detection unit 20 formed in the wand body 100 or the wand handle 101 detects the obstacle 302 in the forward upward direction on the movement path. However, when the obstacle 302 for the front upward direction is detected by the ultrasonic sensor 21, the vibration motor 22 is driven, and the vibration force is applied to the wand body 100 and/or the handle 101. is transmitted, and accordingly, the visually impaired can safely avoid it while recognizing that the obstacle 302 exists in the upper direction on the front side on the movement path according to the vibration force.

On the other hand, when the blind person unexpectedly falls while walking safely by avoiding the front obstacle 301 and/or the front upward obstacle 302 as described above, the cane body 100 carried by the blind person also it can fall over

Then, the gyro sensor 30 configured in the wand body 100 detects the amount of change in the posture of the wand body 100 and outputs it to the control unit 40, and accordingly, the control program mounted on the control unit 40 determines whether the amount of attitude change detected by the gyro sensor 30 deviates from the reference value stored in the memory 41, and when the determination result deviates from the reference value, controls the communication unit 42 to set the designated number terminal 200 , 200') to send a message notifying an emergency situation.

At this time, since the GPS receiver 60 for periodically receiving location information is configured in the wand body 100, the control program can transmit the location information together.

Then, according to the message and/or location information informing of an emergency received to the designated number terminals 200 and 200', the guardian or care manager carrying the designated number terminals 200 and 200' is provided with the location information The location of the visually impaired can be identified based on the that can prevent

In the above, the technical idea of the smart wand of the present invention has been described along with the accompanying drawings, but this is an exemplary description of the best embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention.

Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific preferred embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by anyone skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. It is, of course, possible that such modifications are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.

10; forward detection unit 11; camera
12; warning output 20; upward detection unit
21; ultrasonic sensor 22; vibration motor
30; gyro sensor 40; control
41; memory 42; communication department
50; power supply unit 60; GPS receiver
70; lighting lamp 100; cane body
101; Cane handle 200, 200'; Designated number terminal
301; forward obstacle 302; upward obstacles
M10; safety module

Claims (6)

By composing a safety module in the cane body with a handle,
a forward detection unit that detects a forward obstacle on a moving path and transmits the detection information to the visually impaired;
an upward detection unit that detects an upward obstacle on a moving path and transmits the detection information to the visually impaired; and,
a gyro sensor for detecting an amount of change in posture with respect to the cane body; including,
In the wand body, it is determined whether the amount of change in the posture of the wand body is out of the reference value stored in the memory through the gyro sensor, and if the determination result deviates from the reference value, the communication unit controls the communication unit to notify the emergency situation to the set designated number terminal. a control unit equipped with a control program to be transmitted; Smart wand, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1,
The forward detection unit,
a camera formed on the wand body or wand handle to photograph the front obstacle on the moving path and output it to the control unit; and a warning output unit for outputting a warning sound or voice information through a speaker when an obstacle is detected from the front image information photographed by the camera; including,
The control program mounted on the control unit analyzes the presence or absence of an obstacle on the front side on the moving path from the image information captured by the camera, and then controls the warning output unit according to the analysis result. cane. The method of claim 1,
The upward detection unit,
an ultrasonic sensor formed on the wand body or wand handle to detect an obstacle upward on the moving path; and,
a vibration motor formed on the wand body or wand handle to vibrate to notify the visually impaired when an obstacle upward on the moving path is detected by the ultrasonic sensor; A smart wand comprising a. The method of claim 1,
The wand body further comprises a GPS receiver for periodically receiving location information, and the control program mounted on the control unit transmits the location information to the designated number terminal set through the communication unit. The method of claim 1,
A power supply unit to which a charging/discharging battery is applied and a lighting lamp for night illumination are configured in the wand body, and a power button for turning on or off the power supply of the power supply unit on the wand body, and the front detection unit or the upward direction A smart wand, characterized in that it forms a charging connector connected to a detection unit or an operation unit including an operation button to turn on or off the lighting lamp, and the power supply unit. The method of claim 1,
The designated number terminal is a smart wand, characterized in that the guardian terminal of the visually impaired or a manager terminal for caring for the visually impaired.

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