Assistive system identifying wheelchair user

Abstract

An accessibility assistance system includes: a camera device, a first computing device, and a second computing device. The camera device is located at the entrance / exit of a service area and is used to capture images from the entrance / exit towards the outside of the service area to generate surveillance footage. The first computing device is connected to the camera device and is used to output a notification signal when it is determined that the surveillance footage contains a target area and the relationship between multiple feature points of the target area meets one or more preset conditions, wherein each of the one or more preset conditions includes at least one of side length and angle. The second computing device is located at a service counter within the service area, connected to the first computing device, and is used to receive the notification signal and output a message corresponding to the notification signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an accessibility assistance system. Prior Technology

[0002] The bank has installed user-friendly facilities such as service bells at the entrance of each branch. These devices passively allow people with disabilities, senior citizens, or those with mobility impairments to request services from the branch. Branch staff will then provide the necessary services after receiving the notification.

[0003] However, when people with disabilities, senior citizens, or those with mobility impairments are suddenly affected by the inconvenience of the facility and are unable to press the service bell for assistance on their own, the friendly facility becomes ineffective. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, the present invention provides an accessibility assistance system that solves the above problems.

[0005] An accessible assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a camera device, a first computing device, and a second computing device. The camera device is disposed at the entrance / exit of a service area and is used to capture images from the entrance / exit towards the outside of the service area to generate surveillance images. The first computing device is connected to the camera device and is used to output a notification signal when it is determined that the surveillance image has a target area and the relationship between multiple feature points of the target area meets one or more preset conditions, wherein each of the one or more preset conditions includes at least one of side length and angle. The second computing device is disposed at a service counter located within the service area, connected to the first computing device, and is used to receive the notification signal and output a message corresponding to the notification signal.

[0006] In summary, the accessibility assistance system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can automatically notify the service counter to promptly notify staff to assist guests when they are unable to press the service bell, thereby optimizing the friendly service environment.

[0007] The foregoing description of the disclosure and the following description of the embodiments are intended to demonstrate and explain the spirit and principles of the present invention, and to provide a further explanation of the scope of the patent application of the present invention. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an example top view illustrating the relative positions of the photographic equipment, service area, and entrances / exits. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the target block as a human-shaped image block and the corresponding preset conditions. Figure 4 is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0009] The following detailed description of the features and advantages of the present invention is sufficient to enable anyone skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. Based on the disclosure, patent claims, and drawings in this specification, anyone skilled in the art can easily understand the relevant objectives and advantages of the present invention. The following embodiments further illustrate the points of the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way.

[0010] The accessibility assistance system described in one or more of the following embodiments can be applied to places such as banks, hotels, and shops. Taking a bank as an example, when guests such as people with disabilities, senior citizens, or people with mobility impairments are unable to press the bank's service bell by themselves, the accessibility assistance system of the present invention can automatically notify the accessible service counter to optimize the friendly financial service environment and enhance the image of the financial industry.

[0011] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2 together. Figure 1 is a block diagram of the accessibility assistance system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an example top view showing the relative positions of the camera device, service area, and entrance / exit. As shown in Figure 1, the accessibility assistance system 1 includes a camera device 10, a first computing device 11, and a second computing device 12. The camera device 10 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 11, and the first computing device 11 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 12. As shown in Figure 2, the accessibility assistance system 1 can be applied to a field including an entrance / exit R1 and a service area R2. Taking a bank as an example, the entrance / exit R1 can be the bank's entrance / exit, and the service area R2 can be the indoor area where customers and bank staff conduct banking business.

[0012] A camera device 10 is installed at the entrance / exit R1 of the service area R2 and is used to capture images from the entrance / exit R1 towards the outside of the service area R2 to generate surveillance footage. The camera device 10 may include an infrared camera. The camera device 10 shown in Figure 2 is installed on the door of the entrance / exit R1, but the installation position of the camera device 10 shown in Figure 2 is only an example. As long as the camera device 10 can capture images from the entrance / exit R1 towards the outside of the service area R2, the present invention does not limit the installation position of the camera device 10.

[0013] The first computing device 11 is used to output a notification signal when it determines that the monitored image has a target block and the relationship between multiple feature points of the target block meets one or more preset conditions. Each preset condition includes at least one of side length and angle, and the preset condition can indicate that the relationship between the feature points corresponds to a person in need of assistance, such as a person with disabilities, an elderly person, or a person with mobility impairment. In other words, the target block may include at least one of a human-shaped image block and a chair-shaped image block, and when the relationship between the feature points of the target block meets the preset conditions, it indicates that the target block is an image of a person in need of assistance. The first computing device 11 may be a computing device in the cloud or a computing device set in the service area R2, and the first computing device 11 may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic controller, or other processors with signal processing functions.

[0014] The second computing device 12 is located at the service counter within the service area R2 and is used to receive notification signals output by the first computing device 11 and output messages corresponding to the notification signals. Furthermore, the service counter equipped with the second computing device 12 can be an accessible service counter. The messages can be output to a display connected to the second computing device 12 to notify guests at the personnel entrance R1 of the service counter that they require assistance. The second computing device 12 is a computer located at the service counter and may include one or more processors, such as a central processing unit, graphics processing unit, microcontroller, programmable logic controller, or other processor with signal processing capabilities.

[0015] Accordingly, when a guest is unable to press the service bell, the accessibility assistance system described in the above embodiment can automatically notify the service counter to promptly notify staff to assist the guest and optimize the friendly service environment.

[0016] As described above, the target area can be a chair-shaped image area. Preset conditions may include the first side length of the target area falling within a first preset side length range, and the second side length of the target area falling within a second preset side length range. The first side length can be the width, and the first preset side length range can be 40 to 70 centimeters. The second side length can be the height, and the second preset side length range can be 80 to 86 centimeters. Furthermore, the first computing device 11 can perform object detection on the surveillance image, and when the object detection result indicates that the surveillance image includes a chair-shaped image area, it extracts the left end point, right end point, top point, and bottom point of the chair in the chair-shaped image area as feature points of the chair-shaped image area.

[0017] For example, the chair-shaped image block may include an image of a wheelchair, and the feature points may include multiple of the wheelchair's two side wheels, two side armrests, two side push handles, and two side front wheels. In the example where the chair-shaped image block is an image of a wheelchair, the first preset side length range is the width range of the total width of the wheelchair, and the second preset side length range is the height range of the total height of the wheelchair. Therefore, when the relationship between the feature points of the chair-shaped image block meets the preset conditions, the first computing device 11 generates a notification signal, and the notification signal can indicate that the guest at entrance R1 is a guest in a wheelchair.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram illustrating the target area as a human figure image area and the corresponding preset conditions. In addition to the chair-shaped image area, the target area can also be a human figure image area. The preset conditions may include the angle between multiple line segments corresponding to the upper arm and lower arm in the target area being within a preset angle range, wherein the preset angle range can be 30 to 40 degrees.

[0019] Taking Figure 3 as an example, the first processing device 11 can perform object detection on the surveillance image, and when the object detection result indicates that the surveillance image has a human figure image block A1, it extracts the two endpoints (start and end points) of the upper arm and the two endpoints (start and end points) of the lower arm of the guest in the human figure image block A1 as feature points of the human figure image block A1. Since the elbow angle of an elderly person holding a cane is usually bent at about 30 to 40 degrees, the angle between the extension line segment L1 of the upper arm and the extension line segment L2 of the lower arm is... When the angle falls within the preset range of 30 to 40 degrees, the first computing device 11 generates a notification signal, which can indicate whether the guest at the entrance R1 is using a cane.

[0020] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 4, the accessibility assistance system 2 includes a camera device 20, a first computing device 21, a second computing device 22, a radar speedometer 23, and a door controller 24. The camera device 20 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 21, the first computing device 21 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 22, and the radar speedometer 23 and the door controller 24 are each electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 21. The camera device 20, the first computing device 21, and the second computing device 22 can be implemented in the same way as the camera device 10, the first computing device 11, and the second computing device 12 in Figure 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0021] Please refer to Figures 2 and 4. The radar speed detector 23 can be installed at the entrance / exit R1, and is used to control the speed measurement from the entrance / exit R1 towards the service area R2. The first computing device 21 is further used to control the radar speed detector 23 to perform the speed measurement when it determines that the monitoring image contains a human-shaped image block, and to output another notification signal to the second computing device 22 when the speed measurement result falls within a preset speed range. The radar speed detector 23 can be installed side by side with the camera device 20 to measure the speed in the area where the camera device 20 captures the monitoring image.

[0022] In other words, when the first processing unit 21 determines that the monitored image contains a human-shaped image block, the first processing unit 21 controls the radar speed detector 23 to measure the speed outside the service area R2. The speed measurement result indicates the moving speed of the person in the human-shaped image block. The preset speed range can correspond to the average walking speed of the elderly, for example, 1.25 to 1.32 meters per second. Therefore, when the speed measurement result falls within the preset speed range, it indicates that the guest visiting the store may be elderly. The first processing unit 21 can output a notification signal indicating that the guest visiting the store is elderly to the second processing unit 22, thereby notifying the staff at the service counter to assist the guest.

[0023] Furthermore, when the speed measurement result falls within a preset speed range, the first computing device 21 can control the opening of the entrance / exit R1 door via the door controller 24. Therefore, when the first computing device 21 identifies a guest walking too slowly, it can automatically open the door to welcome the guest via the door controller 24. The door controller 24 may include one or more microcontrollers connected to the first computing device 21, used to open or close the door under the control of the first computing device 21. Moreover, after determining that the speed measurement result falls within a preset speed range and automatically opening the door via the door controller 24, the first computing device 21 can close the door via the door controller 24 when triggered by a trigger signal. The trigger signal can be input by service counter personnel to the second computing device 22, which then sends the trigger signal to the first computing device 21; the first computing device 21 can generate a trigger signal when it determines that there are no human-shaped image blocks and / or chair-shaped image blocks in the monitoring image of the camera device 20. When the speed measurement result falls within the preset speed range, the first calculation device 21 can also extend the opening time of the gate (for example, to 170 seconds).

[0024] The preset speed range can be obtained by the first computing device 21 from a database. Furthermore, the database may contain numerical values ​​of the movement speeds of multiple elderly individuals. The first computing device 21 can use the average value of the values ​​in the database as the center value of the preset speed range, multiply the average value by 1.1 to obtain the upper limit of the preset speed range, and multiply the average value by 0.9 to obtain the lower limit of the preset speed range. The 1.1 and 0.9 mentioned above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 5, which is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, the accessibility assistance system 3 includes a camera device 30, a first computing device 31, a second computing device 32, and a radio frequency identification (RFID) device 33. The camera device 30 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 31, the first computing device 31 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 32, and the RFID device 33 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 31. The camera device 30, the first computing device 31, and the second computing device 32 can be implemented in the same way as the camera device 10, the first computing device 11, and the second computing device 12 in Figure 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0026] The radio frequency identification (RFID) device 33 may include an RFID reader for reading a chip embedded in the passbook to detect wireless identification information corresponding to the passbook. The first computing device 31 may output another notification signal to the second computing device 32 when the wireless identification information matches preset identification information. For example, the preset identification information may include one or more of the account name, account number, age, and ID number of each of several individuals requiring assistance. Therefore, when the first computing device 31 determines that the wireless identification information detected by the RFID device 33 matches the preset identification information, indicating that a customer visiting the store may require assistance, the first computing device 31 may output a notification signal indicating that the customer is a person requiring assistance to the second computing device 32, thereby notifying the service counter staff to assist the customer.

[0027] Please refer to Figure 6, which is a block diagram of an accessibility assistance system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 6, the accessibility assistance system 4 includes a camera device 40, a first computing device 41, a second computing device 42, and a physiological information measuring instrument 43. The camera device 40 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 41, the first computing device 41 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 42, and the physiological information measuring instrument 43 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 42. The camera device 40, the first computing device 41, and the second computing device 42 can be implemented in the same way as the camera device 10, the first computing device 11, and the second computing device 12 in Figure 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0028] The physiological information measuring device 43 may include a blood pressure measuring device and a heart rate measuring device for measuring the physiological information of guests. The second processing unit 42, after receiving a notification signal from the first processing unit 41, can output physiological information measurement options to a display, whereby the physiological information measurement options may include blood pressure measurement options and heart rate measurement options. Upon receiving a trigger command corresponding to a physiological information measurement option, the second processing unit 42 can control the physiological information measuring device 43 to perform measurements, and output an alert if the measurement result does not match a preset value. Service counter staff or guests can select a physiological information measurement option to generate a trigger command to start the physiological information measuring device 43 to perform measurements. When the measurement result does not match a preset value (e.g., higher than a preset value), it may indicate that the guest is unwell, or that their heart rate is higher than the preset value due to fraud or even coercion. Therefore, the second processing unit 42 can output an alert to the display when the measurement result does not match the preset value to notify service counter staff to request medical assistance or police assistance.

[0029] The physiological information measuring device 43 may also include a camera. The second processing unit 42, after receiving a notification signal from the first processing unit 41, controls the physiological information measuring device 43 to take a picture to obtain an image of the guest's eyes. The second processing unit 42 can output an alert when it determines that the pupil size in the eye image is greater than a preset size. The preset size is, for example, 2 to 3 millimeters. Specifically, when a guest encounters a crisis or stressful situation, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, causing the pupils to dilate. Therefore, the pupil size of the guest at the counter can be determined through the image. If the pupil size exceeds the preset size, it may indicate that an emergency has occurred. At this time, an alert is output to the display screen to notify the service counter staff to request medical assistance or police assistance.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a block diagram illustrating an accessibility assistance system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 7, the accessibility assistance system 5 includes a camera device 50, a first computing device 51, a second computing device 52, and a mobile vehicle 53. The camera device 50 is electrically or communicatively connected to the first computing device 51, the first computing device 51 is electrically or communicatively connected to the second computing device 52, and the mobile vehicle 53 is communicatively connected to the second computing device 52. For example, the mobile vehicle 53 can be connected to the second computing device 52 via Bluetooth. The implementation of the camera device 50, the first computing device 51, and the second computing device 52 can be the same as that of the camera device 10, the first computing device 11, and the second computing device 12 in Figure 1, respectively, and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0031] The mobile vehicle 53 may include an electric wheelchair or a conventional wheelchair pushed by a robot. The second computing device 52 may control the mobile vehicle 53 to move to the entrance / exit after receiving a notification signal from the first computing device 51. In other words, when the second computing device 52 receives a notification signal indicating that a guest may require mobility assistance (e.g., an elderly person with a cane), the second computing device 52 may control the mobile vehicle 53 to move to the entrance / exit for the guest to ride.

[0032] It should also be noted that at least two or more of the embodiments in Figures 1 and 4 to 7 can be combined with each other.

[0033] In summary, the accessibility assistance system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention can automatically notify the service counter to promptly notify staff to assist guests when they are unable to press the service bell, thereby optimizing the friendly service environment. Furthermore, the accessibility assistance system according to one or more embodiments of the present invention, by incorporating physiological information measuring devices, can confirm the guest's physiological condition and help detect whether the guest has been scammed or even coerced.

[0034] While the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. Any modifications and refinements made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention are within the scope of patent protection of the present invention. For details regarding the scope of protection defined in the present invention, please refer to the appended claims.

[0035] 1,2,3,4,5: Accessibility Assistance Systems 10, 20, 30, 40, 50: Photographic devices 11,21,31,41,51: First arithmetic unit 12, 22, 32, 42, 52: Second arithmetic unit 23: Radar speed detector 24: Door Controller 33: Radio Frequency Identification Device 43: Physiological Information Measurement Instrument 53: Mobile Vehicles R1: Entrance and exit R2: Service Area A1: Human-shaped image block L1, L2: Extended line segments Angle

Claims

1. An accessibility assistive system for identifying wheelchair users, comprising: a camera device disposed at an entrance / exit of a service area, and configured to capture images from the entrance / exit toward the outside of the service area to generate a monitoring image; a first computing device connected to the camera device, and configured to output a notification signal when determining that the monitoring image has a target block and the relationship between multiple feature points of the target block meets one or more preset conditions, wherein each of the one or more preset conditions includes at least one of side length and angle, the target block is a human-shaped image block, and the one or more preset conditions include that the included angle between multiple line segments corresponding to the upper arm and lower arm in the target block is within a preset angle range, wherein... The feature points include the two endpoints of the upper arm and the two endpoints of the lower arm; and a second computing device, located at a service counter in the service area, connected to the first computing device, and used to receive the notification signal and output a message corresponding to the notification signal, wherein the target block further includes a chair-shaped image block, and the one or more preset conditions further include: a first side length of the target block falls within a first preset side length range; and a second side length of the target block falls within a second preset side length range, wherein the feature points further include multiple of the wheelchair's two side wheels, two side armrests, two side push handles, and two side front wheels.

2. The accessibility assistance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first side length is the width, the first preset side length ranges from 40 to 70 cm, the second side length is the height, and the second preset side length ranges from 80 to 86 cm.

3. The accessibility assistance system as described in claim 1, wherein the preset angle range is 30 to 40 degrees.

4. The accessibility assistance system as described in claim 1 further comprises: a radar speed detector, installed at the entrance / exit, connected to the first computing device, and controlled to measure speed from the entrance / exit toward the service area; wherein the first computing device is further configured to control the radar speed detector to perform the speed measurement when it is determined that the surveillance image contains the human-shaped image block, and to output another notification signal to the second computing device when the speed measurement result falls within a preset speed range.

5. The accessibility assistance system as described in claim 4 further comprises: a door controller connected to the first computing device; wherein the first computing device is further configured to control the opening of a door installed at the entrance / exit via the door controller when the result of the speed measurement falls within the preset speed range.

6. The accessibility assistance system as described in claim 1 further comprises: a radio frequency identification device connected to the first computing device and configured to detect wireless identity information; wherein the first computing device is further configured to output another notification signal to the second computing device when the wireless identity information matches a preset identity information.

7. The accessibility assistance system as described in claim 1 further comprises: a physiological information measuring device connected to the second computing device; wherein the second computing device is further configured to output a physiological information measuring option after receiving the notification signal, control the physiological information measuring device to perform measurement when receiving a trigger command corresponding to the physiological information measuring option, and output an alarm when the measurement result does not match a preset value.

8. The accessibility assistance system as claimed in claim 1 further comprises: a mobile vehicle connected to the second computing device; wherein the second computing device is further configured to control the mobile vehicle to move to the entrance / exit after receiving the notification signal.

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