Multifunctional self-adaptive blind person grab rail device and using method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a multifunctional self-adaptive blind person grab rail device and a using method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of robot auxiliary equipment.The multifunctional self-adaptive blind person grab rail device comprises a grab rail module, a telescopic rod module, an intelligent module and a walking aid connecting module, the grab rail module is connected with the telescopic rod module, and the intelligent module is arranged in the telescopic rod module; the intelligent module is electrically connected with the armrest module and the walking-aid connecting module, and the walking-aid connecting module is arranged at the end, away from the armrest module, of the telescopic rod module. According to the intelligent walking-aid multifunctional armrest with the man-machine interaction function, interconnection, perception and feedback are achieved, the perception range of the blind is expanded, environment information is provided, and the interaction mode is enriched. Functional conversion between the robot control rod and the intelligent walking stick is achieved through the quick release structure, and the technical bottleneck that an existing device is single in function and limited in man-machine interaction is solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of robot-assisted devices, and in particular to a multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device and a use method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, the daily travel safety and independence of the visually impaired population is highly dependent on the functionality and reliability of assistive tools, and the most commonly used travel assistive device for the visually impaired population is the traditional blind cane, which helps the visually impaired to perceive road obstacles (such as steps, protrusions) through "ground feedback" and relies on the user's sense of touch and hearing to judge the environment, and is the basic tool for the visually impaired to travel. However, it has the defects of limited perception range, missing environmental information, single interaction mode, and contradiction between endurance and portability.

[0003] In view of the above related technology, the applicant finds that due to the emergence of intelligent guide robots, the handrail rod can only be used for holding. If a device that can be connected with an intelligent guide robot and used independently as an intelligent blind cane or an intelligent cane for the elderly is available, the above-mentioned defects of the products on the market can be solved.

[0004] The design is a multifunctional handrail suitable for small robots such as intelligent guide robots and four-legged robot dogs, and is mainly used for assisting the travel of the blind and the elderly. It is especially suitable for various robot dogs or intelligent cars, and the blind or the elderly can control the ground robot device through the handrail. If necessary, the handrail rod can be used independently as an intelligent blind cane or an intelligent cane for the elderly. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device and a use method thereof to solve the problems in the prior art. The intelligent walking aid multifunctional handrail with human-computer interaction function realizes interconnection, perception and feedback, expands the perception range of the blind, provides environmental information, and enriches the interaction mode. The function conversion of the robot control rod and the intelligent cane is realized through the quick release structure, and the technical bottleneck of single function and limited human-computer interaction of the existing equipment is solved.

[0006] The technical solution of the present application to solve the above technical problems is as follows:

[0007] A multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device, comprising a handrail module, a telescopic rod module, an intelligent module and a walking aid connection module, the handrail module and the telescopic rod module are connected to each other, the intelligent module is arranged in the telescopic rod module, the intelligent module is electrically connected to the handrail module and the walking aid connection module respectively, and the walking aid connection module is arranged at the end of the telescopic rod module away from the handrail module.

[0008] Further, the handrail module comprises a main control processor, physical buttons, a sensor array unit and a tactile feedback unit.

[0009] The main control processor is arranged inside the handrail module shell, and the main control processor connects the intelligent guide blind robot through the intelligent module and the walking aid connecting module to realize signal collection, power driving and environment sensing.

[0010] The physical button is arranged outside the handrail module shell, and the physical button is electrically connected with the main control processor to realize multi-mode control.

[0011] The sensor array unit is arranged inside the handrail module shell, and the sensor array unit is electrically connected with the main control processor, and the shell of the handrail module is provided with an opening, and the sensor array unit realizes laser ranging, ultrasonic ranging, visual collection, air pressure collection and temperature and humidity collection.

[0012] The tactile feedback unit is arranged at the handle position of the handrail module shell, and the tactile feedback unit is electrically connected with the main control processor, and the tactile feedback unit realizes vibration feedback or voice feedback of information.

[0013] Further, the telescopic rod module comprises an upper rod body, a lower rod body, a locking device, a spiral wire and a battery compartment.

[0014] The top of the upper rod body is fixedly connected with the bottom of the handrail module, the lower rod body is arranged in the upper rod body to make telescopic movement, the locking device is fixed at the bottom of the upper rod body, the locking device is in mutual abutment and locking position with the upper rod body and the lower rod body, the battery compartment is arranged at the top of the upper rod body and connected with the handrail module, and the spiral wire is arranged inside the upper rod body and the lower rod body, the upper end of the spiral wire is connected with the handrail module, and the lower end of the spiral wire is connected with the intelligent module.

[0015] Further, the intelligent module comprises a clasp one, a magnetic attraction interface, a navigation plug unit and a Bluetooth unit.

[0016] The clasp one is connected with the telescopic rod module and the walking aid connecting module, the magnetic attraction interface is arranged at one side of the bottom of the clasp one, the navigation plug unit is arranged at the bottom of the clasp one, and the Bluetooth unit is arranged inside the clasp one.

[0017] Further, the walking aid connecting module comprises a clasp two, a pressure sensor and an anti-skid rod foot.

[0018] The clasp two is connected with the telescopic rod module and the intelligent module, the pressure sensor is arranged inside the clasp two, the clasp two is connected with the anti-skid rod foot, and the anti-skid rod foot is arranged at the bottom of the clasp two.

[0019] Further, the intelligent module is connected with the intelligent guide blind robot through a wireless or wired connection mode.

[0020] A use method of a multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device, comprising the following steps:

[0021] Step one: press the switch button of the handrail module for 3 seconds to enter the initialization state, at this time the handrail module is powered on, then the handrail module judges the instruction feedback, when the instruction feedback agrees with the normal data, the initialization state is completed; if the feedback is incorrect, the handrail module alarms through the loudspeaker, indicating that the handrail module is running incorrectly;

[0022] Step two: after the initialization is successful, the original data reception of each sensor in the intelligent module and the walking aid connection module is the basis for all data analysis, the uploaded original data is data head, data body, check bit and data tail;

[0023] Step three: after the handrail module receives the data of each sensor of the intelligent module and the walking aid connection module, the data is extracted and summarized, laying a foundation for the subsequent logic analysis of the intelligent walking stick mode;

[0024] Step four: when the walking aid connection module is connected with the intelligent blind guiding robot, the data transmitted to the chassis of the intelligent blind guiding robot is the driving control signal, and the control feedback information received from the chassis of the intelligent blind guiding robot.

[0025] Further, in step three, the intelligent walking stick mode measures three-dimensional point cloud data by ultrasonic sensors and laser sensors, and constructs a three-dimensional obstacle model by algorithm fusion of three-dimensional data of the two sensors;

[0026] When the obstacle approaches the set threshold, the corresponding alarm is triggered, the vibration of the handrail module or the voice broadcast of the obstacle direction is controlled, and the warning light of the stick body is controlled to be lit.

[0027] Further, the vibration of the handrail module is realized by a vibration motor, and the vibration mode and frequency of the vibration motor are defined according to the angle and distance of the obstacle, when the obstacle is located on the left side of the front center line, the left motor vibrates, and when the obstacle is located on the right side of the front center line, the right motor vibrates, the vibration frequency is divided into 3 grades according to the distance of the obstacle, the vibration frequency is highest within 1 meter, the vibration frequency is medium within 1-2 meters, the vibration frequency is low within 2-3 meters, and the obstacle outside 3 meters does not drive the vibration motor to act;

[0028] The warning light is a warning module integrating stroboscopic and alarm sound.

[0029] Further, in step four, when the walking aid connection module is connected with the intelligent blind guiding robot, the pressure sensor of the walking aid connection module is connected to the ADC interface of the main control processor through two voltage transmission lines, the ADC collects the change of analog voltage, the main control processor calculates that the force feedback value continuously falls below the critical threshold, and under the condition that the handrail rod power is not turned off, the main control processor judges that the handrail rod has been dropped for some reason, at this time the warning module is actively opened, since the warning module has sound and light warning, it prompts the passing pedestrians and also prompts the user the position of the handrail rod.

[0030] In summary, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the above technical solutions are:

[0031] 1. The intelligent walking aid multifunctional handrail with human-computer interaction function of the application realizes interconnection, sensing and feedback, expands the sensing range of the blind, provides environmental information, enriches the interaction mode, realizes the function conversion of the robot control rod and the intelligent walking stick through the quick release structure, and solves the technical bottleneck of single function and limited human-computer interaction of the existing equipment.

[0032] 2. The walking aid connecting module of the application can be compatible with various robot controls, solves the problem of easy entanglement and damage of the wire harness of the telescopic rod module, is suitable for intelligent guide blind robot (such as guiding obstacle avoidance), quadruped robot, cleaning robot and intelligent monitoring scene of the elderly, and the like through data fusion of multiple sensors. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure in the embodiment of the application;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the handrail module in the embodiment of the application;

[0035] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the telescopic rod module and the walking aid connecting module in the embodiment of the application;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the intelligent module in the embodiment of the application.

[0037] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0038] 1. Handrail module; 11, main control processor; 12, physical button; 13, sensor array unit; 14, tactile feedback unit; 2, telescopic rod module; 21, upper rod body; 22, lower rod body; 23, locking device; 24, helical wire; 25, battery compartment; 3, intelligent module; 31, ring member one; 32, magnetic attraction interface; 33, navigation plug-in unit; 34, Bluetooth unit; 4, walking aid connecting module; 41, ring member two; 42, pressure sensor; 43, anti-skid rod foot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The principles and features of the application are described below in combination with all the drawings, and the examples are only used to explain the application and not to limit the scope of the application.

[0040] The embodiment of the application discloses a multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device and a use method thereof.

[0041] REFERENCE Figures 1 to 4As shown, a multifunctional adaptive blind handrail rod device includes a handrail module 1, a telescopic rod module 2, an intelligent module 3, and a walking aid connection module 4. The handrail module 1 is connected to the telescopic rod module 2. The intelligent module 3 is arranged in the telescopic rod module 2. The intelligent module 3 is electrically connected to the handrail module 1 and the walking aid connection module 4. The walking aid connection module 4 is arranged at the end of the telescopic rod module 2 away from the handrail module 1.

[0042] Modular function conversion, quick switching between intelligent blind guiding robot control rod and independent intelligent walking stick, the core working principle of the modular function conversion system is based on the cooperative operation of modular architecture and dynamic adaptation algorithm. Through hardware interface standardization, signal processing layering, and mode switching intelligentization, seamless conversion between robot control rod and intelligent walking stick is realized.

[0043] The handrail module 1 includes a main control processor 11, a physical button 12, a sensor array unit 13, and a tactile feedback unit 14.

[0044] The main control processor 11 is arranged in the inside of the handrail module 1 shell. The main control processor 11 is connected to the intelligent module 3 and the walking aid connection module 4 to connect the intelligent blind guiding robot, realize signal acquisition, power driving, and environment perception.

[0045] The physical button 12 is arranged outside the handrail module 1 shell. The physical button 12 is electrically connected to the main control processor 11 to realize multi-mode control.

[0046] The sensor array unit 13 is arranged in the inside of the handrail module 1 shell. The sensor array unit 13 is electrically connected to the main control processor 11. The handrail module 1 shell has a reserved opening. The sensor array unit 13 realizes laser ranging, ultrasonic ranging, visual acquisition, air pressure acquisition, and temperature and humidity acquisition.

[0047] The tactile feedback unit 14 is arranged at the handle position of the handrail module 1 shell. The tactile feedback unit 14 is electrically connected to the main control processor 11. The tactile feedback unit 14 realizes vibration feedback or voice feedback of information.

[0048] The handrail module 1 integrates the multi-mode physical button 12, supports single click, double click, triple click, and long press, and installs the environment sensor array unit 13 to play the role of holding, controlling, and sensing. The physical button 12 has six physical buttons in addition to the key. Each button supports four trigger modes. The sensor array unit 13 includes a wide-angle camera, a nine-axis IMU, a barometer, and a temperature and humidity sensor. The tactile feedback unit 14 is composed of a linear motor array.

[0049] The telescopic rod module 2 includes an upper rod body 21, a lower rod body 22, a locking device 23, a spiral wire 24, and a battery compartment 25.

[0050] The top of the upper rod body 21 is fixedly connected with the bottom of the handrail module 1, the lower rod body 22 is arranged in the upper rod body 21 to move in and out, the locking device 23 is fixedly arranged at the bottom of the upper rod body 21, the locking device 23 is in mutual abutment and locking position with the upper rod body 21 and the lower rod body 22 respectively, the battery compartment 25 is arranged at the top of the upper rod body 21 and is connected with the handrail module 1, and the helical wire 24 is arranged in the upper rod body 21 and the lower rod body 22, the upper end of the helical wire 24 is connected with the handrail module 1, and the lower end of the helical wire 24 is connected with the intelligent module 3.

[0051] The telescopic rod module 2 has a hollow structure, a built-in helical wire 24 slot channel and a cylindrical battery compartment 25, and plays a role of orderly arrangement and length adjustment of a wire harness.

[0052] The intelligent module 3 comprises a snap ring 31, a magnetic attraction interface 32, a navigation plug unit 33 and a Bluetooth unit 34.

[0053] The snap ring 31 is connected with the telescopic rod module 2 and the walking aid connecting module 4 respectively, the magnetic attraction interface 32 is arranged at one side of the bottom of the snap ring 31, the navigation plug unit 33 is arranged at the bottom of the snap ring 31, and the Bluetooth unit 34 is arranged in the snap ring 31.

[0054] The intelligent module 3 is used for connecting with an intelligent blind guiding robot, adopts a magnetic attraction and mechanical buckle double mode fixing structure, uses a TypeC wired communication interface and a Bluetooth 5.3 wireless communication interface, and plays a role of connection, fixing and data transmission.

[0055] The walking aid connecting module 4 comprises a snap ring 41, a pressure sensor 42 and an anti-skid rod foot 43.

[0056] The snap ring 41 is connected with the telescopic rod module 2 and the intelligent module 3 respectively, the pressure sensor 42 is arranged in the snap ring 41, the snap ring 41 is connected with the anti-skid rod foot 43, and the anti-skid rod foot 43 is arranged at the bottom of the snap ring 41.

[0057] The walking aid connecting module 4 is a detachable anti-skid rod foot containing the pressure sensor 42, and plays a role of ground sensing when being used independently.

[0058] The intelligent module 3 is connected with the intelligent blind guiding robot in a wireless or wired connection mode.

[0059] Due to the technical scheme, the intelligent walking aid multifunctional handrail has the advantages and effects of interconnection, sensing and feedback.

[0060] A use method of a multifunctional self-adaptive blind person handrail rod device comprises the following steps:

[0061] Step one: press the switch button of the handrail module 1 for 3 seconds to enter the initialization state, at this time the handrail module 1 is powered on, then the handrail module 1 judges the instruction feedback, if the instruction feedback is normal data, the initialization state is completed; if the feedback is incorrect, the handrail module 1 alarms through the loudspeaker, indicating that the handrail module 1 is running incorrectly.

[0062] Step two: after the initialization is successful, the original data reception of each sensor in the intelligent module 3 and the walking aid connection module 4 is the basis for all data analysis, the uploaded original data is data head, data body, check bit and data tail.

[0063] Step three: after the handrail module 1 receives the data of each sensor of the intelligent module 3 and the walking aid connection module 4, the data is extracted and summarized, laying a foundation for the subsequent logic analysis of the intelligent walking stick mode.

[0064] The intelligent walking stick mode measures three-dimensional point cloud data by ultrasonic sensors and laser sensors, and constructs a three-dimensional obstacle model by algorithm fusion of three-dimensional data of the two sensors.

[0065] When the obstacle approaches the set threshold, the corresponding alarm is triggered, the vibration of the handrail module 1 or the voice broadcast of the obstacle direction is controlled, and the warning light of the stick body is controlled to be lit.

[0066] The vibration of the handrail module 1 is realized by a vibration motor, and the vibration mode and frequency of the vibration motor are defined according to the angle and distance of the obstacle, when the obstacle is located on the left side of the front center line, the left motor vibrates, and when the obstacle is located on the right side of the front center line, the right motor vibrates, the vibration frequency is divided into three grades according to the distance of the obstacle, the vibration frequency is highest within 1 meter, the vibration frequency is medium within 1-2 meters, the vibration frequency is low within 2-3 meters, and the obstacle outside 3 meters does not drive the vibration motor to act.

[0067] The warning light is a warning module integrating stroboscopic and alarm sound.

[0068] Step four: when the walking aid connection module 4 is connected with the intelligent guide blind robot, the data transmitted to the chassis of the intelligent guide blind robot is a driving control signal, and the control feedback information received from the chassis of the intelligent guide blind robot.

[0069] When the walking aid connection module 4 is connected with the intelligent guide blind robot, the pressure sensor 42 of the walking aid connection module 4 is connected to the ADC interface of the main control processor 11 through two voltage transmission lines, the ADC collects the change of analog voltage, and the main control processor 11 calculates that the force feedback value continuously falls below the critical threshold, and the handrail rod power is not turned off, the main control processor 11 judges that the handrail rod has been dropped for some reason, at this time the warning module is actively opened, because the warning module has sound and light warning, it prompts the passing pedestrians and also prompts the user the position of the handrail rod.

[0070] The core innovation of the present application is:

[0071] I. Core architecture: modular hardware and distributed control

[0072] The system adopts a "hub-node" architecture design, with the main control module as the core, connecting signal acquisition, power drive, and environmental perception function nodes. The main control module is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M7 processor with a 20 million times per second operation capability, responsible for parsing mode instructions and allocating hardware resources. Each function node communicates with the main control module through the CAN bus, with a bus transmission rate of 1 Mbps, ensuring that the signal delay is controlled within 10 milliseconds.

[0073] Hardware modularization is reflected in three aspects:

[0074] General interface design: all modules use an 8-pin standardized interface, including power, data transmission, and ground lines, supporting hot swapping.

[0075] Functional reuse mechanism: for example, the IMU module is used to detect the control lever operation angle in robot mode, and is converted into a gait monitoring tool in cane mode.

[0076] Power adaptive adjustment: the main control module can automatically adjust the power supply scheme according to the current mode, outputting 12V / 5A drive motor in robot mode and switching to 3.7V / 1A energy-saving power supply in cane mode.

[0077] II. Dual-mode operation mechanism

[0078] 1. Robot control lever mode

[0079] Signal chain path: joystick displacement → high-precision potentiometer (error ±0.5%) → 16-bit ADC analog-to-digital conversion → main control module analysis → generate PWM control signal → drive robot joint motor.

[0080] Control algorithm: PID closed-loop control is used, with real-time feedback of position information from the encoder installed on the robot joint, adjusting the output pulse width to achieve a control accuracy of 0.1° angle error.

[0081] In a typical application scenario, when the joystick is tilted 30°, the system calculates that the corresponding motor needs to rotate 150° within 50ms, and completes the action in three stages (acceleration - constant speed - deceleration) to avoid mechanical impact.

[0082] 2. Intelligent cane mode

[0083] Environmental perception link: ultrasonic sensor (detection range 0.3-5 m) emits 40 kHz sound waves -> calculates distance by receiving echoes -> fuses with lidar data -> constructs three-dimensional obstacle model.

[0084] Decision logic: when a higher-than-0.5-m obstacle within 1.5 m ahead is detected, the main control module triggers a three-level response: the vibration motor emits a prompt (200 Hz frequency), the voice module announces the direction ("there is an obstacle 30° to the left front"), and the shaft LED warning light is simultaneously turned on.

[0085] Positioning and navigation rely on Beidou + GPS dual-mode positioning, combined with map data to achieve meter-level positioning, support offline storage of POI information within a 10 km range, and still provide path planning in a network-free environment.

[0086] III. Mode switching control flow

[0087] The switching process follows a four-step process: "instruction triggering - state saving - resource reconfiguration - mode loading":

[0088] 1. Triggering method: supports physical buttons (long press for 3 seconds), voice commands ("switch mode"), and APP remote control, with 256-bit encryption verification to prevent misoperation.

[0089] 2. State saving: the running parameters within 100 ms before switching (such as the current position of the robot, the battery level of the cane, etc.) are automatically stored in the EEPROM memory, ensuring that the state is coherent when the mode is restored.

[0090] 3. Hardware reconfiguration: the main control module reconfigures the communication protocols of each module through the on-chip GPIO matrix, such as switching the UART interface from the RS485 protocol of the robot mode to the BLE Bluetooth protocol of the cane mode.

[0091] 4. Load complete: the system completes the mode switching self-check within 300 ms, and emits a "beep-beep" prompt sound through the buzzer, at which point all sensors and actuators are running according to the new mode parameters.

[0092] This design not only ensures the functional specificity of a single device, but also reduces hardware costs through modular reuse. Its core innovation lies in breaking through the limitations of traditional device functionality, achieving the organic unity of industrial-level control precision and consumer-level portability.

[0093] 5. Triple connection architecture: physical + wired + wireless synchronous / optional connection mechanism: when choosing physical connection, it can be simply used as a machine handrail rod, a blind stick, a crutch, etc. When choosing wired (connecting the 8-pin navigation plug at the bottom of the handrail rod to the device) and wireless (connecting Bluetooth / Wi-Fi through the radio frequency module) connection, it can have remote control, operation, detection, and other auxiliary functions at the same time.

[0094] 6. Spiral channel wire harness management: solve the problem of cable winding in telescopic structure: the wire harness used in the telescopic rod of the device is a spring wire that can automatically stretch and contract according to the extension and contraction of the rod, thereby avoiding the problem of winding.

[0095] 7. Composite sensing fusion system: cooperative processing of environmental perception and operation instructions: the handrail rod has a camera on the hardware that can detect and identify the surrounding environment and feedback and remind the user through app or left and right vibration of the handle, and the user can command the device to perform scene and text recognition through key or voice instructions, and when the camera recognizes a face that has been seen before, it will remind the user of the person's name and the last time they met.

[0096] The function conversion of the robot control rod and the intelligent walking stick is realized through the quick release structure, solving the technical bottleneck of single function and limited human-computer interaction of existing devices.

[0097] When connected to a robot, it automatically switches to control mode: key mapping robot control instructions; when used independently, it switches to a walking aid mode or a normal walking stick.

[0098] Taking a physical key as an example, long-pressing the key activates the SOS alarm, double-clicking starts environmental recognition and broadcasting, and triple-clicking triggers fall detection, etc.

[0099] Innovation advantage explanation:

[0100] 1. Dynamic impedance adjustment

[0101] The end pressure sensor 42 detects the holding force in real time, and automatically adjusts the key trigger threshold (such as increasing the trigger sensitivity in the elderly mode).

[0102] 2. Cross-device cooperative control

[0103] Connect simultaneously through Bluetooth Mesh protocol: robot body (main control), smart bracelet (vital sign monitoring), cloud service platform (data synchronization).

[0104] 3. Fault safety mechanism

[0105] Physical key and fall detection form redundant control, when detecting 30° inclination for 5 seconds, automatically sending fall alarm, when battery low, forced to retain basic guidance function.

[0106] The implementation principle of the multifunctional self-adaptive blind handrail rod device and the use method thereof is as follows:

[0107] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 The application mainly consists of a handrail module 1, a telescopic rod module 2, an intelligent module 3 and a walking aid connection module 4. The handrail module 1 includes a main control processor 11, a physical button 12, a sensor array unit 13 and a tactile feedback unit 14. The main control processor 11 is the core, connecting signal acquisition, power drive, environmental perception and other functional nodes. The main control processor 11 is equipped with an ARM Cortex-M7 processor, with an operation capacity of 20 million times per second, responsible for analyzing mode instructions and allocating hardware resources. Each functional node communicates with the main control processor 11 through a CAN bus, with a bus transmission rate of 1 Mbps, ensuring that the signal delay is controlled within 10 milliseconds; the physical button 12 is installed in the handrail module 1 shell, which can play a multi-mode control role; the sensor array unit 13 is fixed inside the handrail module 1 and has an external opening, which plays a role in laser ranging, ultrasonic ranging, visual acquisition, air pressure acquisition and temperature and humidity acquisition; the tactile feedback unit 14 is installed at the handle position of the handrail module 1, which plays a role in vibration feedback and voice feedback.

[0108] The telescopic rod module 2 includes an upper rod body 21, a lower rod body 22, a locking device 23, a spiral wire 24 and a battery compartment 25. The upper rod body 21 is fixedly connected to the bottom of the handrail module 1, which plays a role in fixing the handrail module 1 and can accommodate the lower rod body 22 to retract; the locking device 23 is fixed at the bottom of the upper rod body 21, which plays a role in locking the lower rod body 22; the battery compartment 25 is located at the top of the upper rod body 21 and is connected to the main control processor 11, which plays a role in powering the handrail module 1; the spiral wire 24 is placed in the upper rod body 21 and the lower rod body 22, with the upper end connected to the control processor and the lower end connected to the intelligent module 3, which plays a role in power supply and communication.

[0109] The intelligent module 3 includes a clasp 31, a magnetic interface 32, a navigation plug unit 33 and a Bluetooth unit 34. The clasp 31 is connected to the lower rod body 22 and can be detached, which plays a role in fixing the intelligent module 3 and the telescopic rod module 2, and can also detach and replace the walking aid connection module 4; the magnetic interface 32 is located on one side of the bottom of the clasp 31, which plays a role in charging the battery compartment 25 with a magnetic charger; the navigation plug unit 33 is installed at the bottom of the clasp 31 and is connected to the intelligent guide robot using an aviation plug, which plays a role in fixing and power supply and communication transmission; the Bluetooth unit 34 is installed inside the clasp 31, which plays a role in wireless communication transmission with mobile phones and devices.

[0110] The walking aid connecting module 4 comprises a snap ring 41, a pressure sensor 42 and an anti-skid rod foot 43. The snap ring 41 is connected with the lower rod body 22 and can be detached, thereby fixing the walking aid connecting module 4 with the telescopic rod module 2 and allowing the intelligent module 3 to be replaced. The pressure sensor 42 is installed inside the snap ring 41 and is connected with the anti-skid rod foot 43, thereby measuring the pressure of the rod foot. The anti-skid rod foot 43 is fixed at the bottom of the snap ring 41, thereby supporting the ground and feeding back the pressure.

[0111] The following briefly introduces some related working principles and methods based on the above specific embodiments:

[0112] The following shows the control rod mode of the intelligent blind guiding robot. The displacement of the handrail rod is collected by a high-precision potentiometer, the signal is transmitted to the main control module for analysis through a 16-bit analog-to-digital converter, and finally a PWM control signal is generated to drive the joint motor of the intelligent blind guiding robot to move.

[0113] Step one: press the switch button of the device for 3 seconds to enter the initialization state. At this time, the main control module is powered on. The laser radar, ultrasonic radar, camera, sound pickup, speaker and IMU in the sensor array are powered on in turn. The main control module sends a state query instruction through the serial port and USB port, and judges the instruction feedback. When the instruction feedback is normal data, the initialization state is completed. If the feedback is incorrect, the main control module will alarm through the speaker, and the device will not run normally at this time.

[0114] Step two: after successful initialization, the reception of the original data of each sensor is the basis of all data analysis. The horizontal and vertical field angles of the laser radar are both 45°, the horizontal and vertical ranging line bundles are both 8, and the effective ranging distance is 0.1-20 meters. The uploaded original data includes data header, data body, check bit and data tail. The data body is 64 continuous 2-byte unsigned integers, with a unit of millimeters. Taking the case that the observation angle is in the same direction as the laser emission direction, the lower left corner is 0, the lower right corner is 7, the upper left corner is 56, and the upper right corner is 63. There are 64 distance data, and the data return frequency is greater than 10Hz.

[0115] The ultrasonic radar is a horizontal 4-line radar with a horizontal angle of 60° and an effective measurement distance of 0.1-15 meters. Each ranging line is spaced 15° apart, which can make up for the insufficient detection ability of the laser radar on glass materials such as doors. The uploaded original data includes data header, data body, check bit and data tail. The data body is 4 2-byte unsigned integers, with a unit of millimeters. Taking the case that the observation angle is in the same direction as the ultrasonic emission direction, the data index from left to right is 0, 1, 2, 3, which are 4 distance data. The data return frequency is 4Hz.

[0116] The camera resolution is 720P, the frame rate is 30fps, the CMOS sensor is used to cooperate with the fixed focus lens to realize the optical part, the ISP chip built-in the camera first carries out the image processing such as denoising and format conversion to the RAW signal, then the H.264 encoder integrated in the chip compresses the processed image data, finally the H.264 format video stream is output, the code rate is within 2Mbps, then the compressed video data is transmitted to the main control module through the USB interface in compliance with the UVC protocol.

[0117] The IMU integrates 3-axis gyroscope and 3-axis accelerometer, the gyroscope zero drift is about ± 15° / h, the accelerometer error is about ± 0.2 m / s2, the sampling rate is 200Hz, the MCU built-in the module carries out the high-frequency and zero drift compensation processing to the original data, the 16-bit binary is used for the packaging of each axis data and timestamp, a group of 6-axis data is packaged with 12 bytes, the timestamp data is additionally used with 2 bytes, the data is transmitted to the main control module at the rate of 9600bps of serial port baud rate.

[0118] Step three: after the main control module receives the data of the above-mentioned core sensor, the data is extracted and summarized, which lays the foundation for subsequent logical analysis, the laser radar and the ultrasonic radar are both ranging modules, their functions are complementary, therefore, the data fusion of the data of the two sensors is needed, the fusion method is to superimpose the data according to the installation relative angle of the laser radar and the ultrasonic radar and the respective ranging angle, first, the ranging result of the ultrasonic radar is saved to the vertical 0° angle line of the actual ranging result set, then the ranging result of the laser radar is saved to the other angle line of the actual ranging result set, finally, when the vertical 0° angle line of the laser radar ranging result is stored, it is needed to judge whether it covers the vertical 0° angle line ranging result of the original ultrasonic radar, when the laser radar ranging result is greater than the ultrasonic radar ranging result, the result of the ultrasonic radar is selected, when the laser radar ranging result is less than the ultrasonic radar ranging result, the laser radar ranging result is selected, this method makes up for the deficiency that the ranging distance of the laser radar may be greater than the actual distance when the glass is encountered.

[0119] Camera data is used for scene model recognition and face recognition. For scene model recognition, the video stream needs to be converted to JPG picture format through OpenCV. When the scene recognition description is turned on, the screenshot frequency is about 20 seconds per frame. Because the cloud needs to send the picture data to the cloud for scene recognition, and then return the recognized text information, and then convert the text to speech through local TTS, the screenshot frequency needs to be adjusted dynamically according to the amount of feedback text and the speed of the broadcast. In the case of returning the maximum number of texts and not reducing the speed of the broadcast voice, it is found through actual test that 20 seconds per frame fully meets the needs. When the camera data is used for face recognition, the frame rate sent to the face detection algorithm is reduced to 2Hz, which can meet the needs of real-time and computing power. When the face recognition function is turned on, the video stream data of the camera is taken every 0.5 seconds. The data does not need to be converted to JPG format, and can be directly transmitted to the face detection and recognition algorithm entrance in YV12 format.

[0120] IMU data, after data extraction, the data is extracted to the memory in real time. When the handrail is connected to the robot, the data is sent to the robot to provide speed and acceleration data support for the navigation algorithm of the robot.

[0121] Step four: when the handrail rod is connected to the robot, the main control module is connected to the robot chassis control board through the Type-C connector, and the data transmitted to the robot chassis is the drive control signal, and the control feedback information from the robot chassis is received; in the cruise state, the handrail rod calculates the distance and shape of the front channel and obstacles by acquiring and merging the laser radar and ultrasonic radar data, finds the angle and speed with the highest weighted total value of continuous angle and distance, and sends the current required angular velocity and linear velocity value to the chassis controller; in the navigation state, the handrail rod identifies the angle of the object through the camera, and then determines the distance at this angle through the ranging data of the laser radar and ultrasonic radar, and sends the angle and distance value to the chassis controller; the realization of obstacle avoidance function not only has the optimized path selection in the cruise state, but also sends a stop instruction to the chassis controller when the current front obstacle cannot be bypassed and the distance is less than 1 meter, waits for 2 seconds to judge the moving speed of the obstacle is zero, then sends a rotate in place instruction to the chassis controller, and judges the obstacle situation in real time, and continues to pass through the passable channel, and in any case, when there is an obstacle in front, the type of the obstacle is judged through the visual model, and the type, angle and distance of the front obstacle are broadcast, and when the obstacle type is not identified, the type is "obstacle".

[0122] The following content shows the smart cane mode, the three-dimensional point cloud data is measured by ultrasonic sensors and laser sensors, the three-dimensional data of the two sensors is fused by algorithm to construct a three-dimensional obstacle model; when the obstacle approaches the set threshold, the corresponding alarm is triggered, the vibration motor of different intensity is controlled to vibrate, the voice broadcast of the obstacle direction is controlled, and the warning light of the cane body is controlled to light.

[0123] Step one: the use described here is not repeated, the vibration is realized by the vibration motor controlled by the main control module, and the vibration mode and frequency of the vibration motor are defined according to the angle and distance of the obstacle, when the obstacle is located on the left side of the front center line, the left motor vibrates, and the right motor vibrates when the obstacle is located on the right side of the front center line, the vibration frequency is divided into three grades according to the distance of the obstacle, the vibration frequency is the highest within 1 meter, the vibration frequency is moderate within 1-2 meters, the vibration frequency is low within 2-3 meters, and the obstacle outside 3 meters does not drive the vibration motor to act.

[0124] Step two: the handrail warning light is a warning module integrating stroboscopic and alarm sound, a pair of control lines of the module are short-circuited to work, the control lines are disconnected to stop working, the trigger signal is sent to the main control module through the bus by the single-click signal of the button 4, and the main control module controls a GPIO to be high or low, so that the on-off of the MOS tube is controlled to realize the on-off control of the warning module.

[0125] Step three: when the handrail is connected with the walking aid end, the pressure sensor 42 of the walking aid end is connected with the ADC interface of the main control module through two voltage transmission lines, the ADC collects the change of the analog voltage, the main control module calculates the force feedback value to be continuously lower than the critical threshold, and under the condition that the handrail power is not turned off, the main control module judges that the handrail has been dropped for some reason, at this time, the warning module is actively turned on, and the warning module has sound and light warning, which prompts the passerby and the user of the position of the handrail, facilitating the recovery.

[0126] When the intelligent blind guiding robot is connected, the control mode is automatically switched: the entity button 12 maps the robot control instruction; when used independently, the walking aid mode or the ordinary cane is switched, for example, a physical button, long-pressing the button activates the SOS alarm, double-clicking starts the environment recognition broadcast, and triple-clicking triggers the fall detection.

[0127] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the present application, any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind, characterized in that: It includes a handrail module (1), a telescopic pole module (2), an intelligent module (3), and a walking assistance connection module (4). The handrail module (1) and the telescopic pole module (2) are interconnected. The intelligent module (3) is placed inside the telescopic pole module (2). The intelligent module (3) is electrically connected to the handrail module (1) and the walking assistance connection module (4) respectively. The walking assistance connection module (4) is placed at the end of the telescopic pole module (2) away from the handrail module (1).

2. The multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 1, characterized in that: The armrest module (1) includes a main control processor (11), physical buttons (12), a sensor array unit (13), and a tactile feedback unit (14); The main control processor (11) is located inside the outer shell of the handrail module (1). The main control processor (11) is connected to the intelligent guide robot through the intelligent module (3) and the walking assistance connection module (4) to realize signal acquisition, power drive and environmental perception. The physical button (12) is placed on the outside of the armrest module (1) housing. The physical button (12) is electrically connected to the main control processor (11) to realize multi-mode operation. The sensor array unit (13) is placed inside the outer shell of the handrail module (1). The sensor array unit (13) is electrically connected to the main control processor (11). The outer shell of the handrail module (1) has a reserved opening. Laser ranging, ultrasonic ranging, visual acquisition, air pressure acquisition and temperature and humidity acquisition are realized through the sensor array unit (13). The tactile feedback unit (14) is located at the grip position of the armrest module (1) shell. The tactile feedback unit (14) is electrically connected to the main control processor (11) and the vibration feedback or voice feedback of information is realized through the tactile feedback unit (14).

3. The multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic rod module (2) includes an upper rod body (21), a lower rod body (22), a locking device (23), a spiral (24), and a battery compartment (25); The top of the upper rod (21) is fixedly connected to the bottom of the handrail module (1). The lower rod (22) is placed inside the upper rod (21) and moves in a telescopic motion. The locking device (23) is fixed at the bottom of the upper rod (21). The locking device (23) abuts against the upper rod (21) and the lower rod (22) respectively and locks the position. The battery compartment (25) is placed on the top of the upper rod (21) and connected to the handrail module (1). The spiral (24) is placed inside the upper rod (21) and the lower rod (22). The upper end interface of the spiral (24) is connected to the handrail module (1), and the lower end interface of the spiral (24) is connected to the smart module (3).

4. The multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent module (3) includes a retaining ring (31), a magnetic interface (32), a flight plug unit (33), and a Bluetooth unit (34); The first retaining ring (31) is connected to the telescopic pole module (2) and the walking assistance connection module (4) respectively. The magnetic interface (32) is located on the bottom side of the first retaining ring (31). The aviation plug unit (33) is located at the bottom of the first retaining ring (31). The Bluetooth unit (34) is located inside the first retaining ring (31).

5. The multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 1, characterized in that: The walking assistance connection module (4) includes a retaining ring (41), a pressure sensor (42), and an anti-slip rod foot (43); The second retaining ring (41) is connected to the telescopic rod module (2) and the intelligent module (3) respectively. The pressure sensor (42) is placed inside the second retaining ring (41). The second retaining ring (41) is connected to the anti-slip rod foot (43). The anti-slip rod foot (43) is placed at the bottom of the second retaining ring (41).

6. The multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 1, characterized in that: The intelligent module (3) is connected to the intelligent guide robot via wireless or wired connection.

7. A method of using a multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Press the switch button of the handrail module (1) for 3 seconds to enter the initialization state. At this time, the handrail module (1) is powered on. Then the handrail module (1) judges the command feedback. When the command feedback is normal, the initialization state is completed. If the feedback is incorrect, the handrail module (1) will alarm through the speaker, indicating that the handrail module (1) is malfunctioning. Step 2: After successful initialization, receiving the raw data from each sensor in the intelligent module (3) and the walking assistance connection module (4) is the basis for all data analysis. The uploaded raw data consists of a data header, data body, check bit, and data tail. Step 3: After receiving the sensor data from the smart module (3) and the walking assistance connection module (4), the handrail module (1) extracts and summarizes the data to lay the foundation for the subsequent logical analysis of the smart cane mode. Step 4: When the assistive connection module (4) is connected to the intelligent guide robot, the data transmitted to the chassis of the intelligent guide robot is the drive control signal, and the control feedback information from the chassis of the intelligent guide robot is received.

8. The method of using a multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step three, the smart cane mode uses ultrasonic and laser sensors to measure three-dimensional point cloud data, and then uses an algorithm to fuse the three-dimensional data from the two sensors to construct a three-dimensional obstacle model. When an obstacle approaches a set threshold, a corresponding alarm is triggered, and the vibration of the handrail module (1) is controlled or the location of the obstacle is announced via voice, and the warning light on the cane is turned on.

9. The method of using a multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 8, characterized in that: The vibration of the handrail module (1) is achieved by a vibration motor. The vibration mode and frequency of the vibration motor are defined according to the angle and distance of the obstacle. When the obstacle is located on the left side of the front center line, the left motor vibrates. Similarly, when the obstacle is located on the right side of the front center line, the right motor vibrates. The vibration frequency is divided into 3 levels according to the distance of the obstacle. The vibration frequency is the highest within 1 meter, the vibration frequency is medium from 1 to 2 meters, the vibration frequency is low from 2 to 3 meters, and the vibration motor does not drive the obstacle beyond 3 meters. The warning light is a warning module that integrates flashing and alarm sounds.

10. The method of using a multifunctional adaptive handrail device for the blind according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step four, when the walking assistance connection module (4) is connected to the intelligent guide robot, the pressure sensor (42) of the walking assistance connection module (4) is connected to the ADC interface of the main control processor (11) through two voltage transmission lines. The ADC collects the changes in analog voltage. The main control processor (11) calculates that the force feedback value is continuously lower than the critical threshold. If the power of the handrail is not turned off, the main control processor (11) determines that the handrail has been released for some reason. At this time, the warning module is actively turned on. Since the warning module has audible and visual warnings, it not only alerts passersby but also indicates the position of the handrail to the user.

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