Tactile feedback tactile stick

Abstract

A tactile feedback tactile stick belongs to the technical field of tactile sticks and comprises a handle shell, a distance feedback assembly, a distance measuring sensor and a controller, the distance measuring sensor is arranged on the handle shell, and the distance feedback assembly is matched with the handle shell; wherein the distance feedback assembly comprises a sliding block, a steering engine and a driver, the sliding block is arranged on the handle shell in a sliding mode, the driver is configured to drive the steering engine to work in the working process, and the steering engine drives the sliding block to move up and down; the controller receives signals of the distance measuring sensor, processes the signals and then controls the driver to work, information is transmitted through the position of the sliding block in the sliding groove, information transmission is accurate and rapid, a user can perceive the information easily and visually, the perceived space information is directly mapped to the sliding block, and the tactile stick does not need to understand the environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of blind sticks, and in particular relates to a tactile feedback blind stick. Background Art

[0002] The market lacks efficient and accurate human-computer interaction methods for the blind. Existing voice interaction solutions have low information accuracy, slow transmission speed, and occupy auditory information; existing tactile solutions focus on micro-motors, vibration motors, and single encoder motors. For micro-motors, each point can only vaguely express "0" and "1" and cannot accurately express the size of a certain value. For vibration motors, the size of a certain value can be transmitted through the vibration frequency, but perception is difficult, and vibration is not conducive to long-term human-computer interaction. For single encoder motors, only one continuous value can be accurately transmitted at a time. It cannot be used to perceive the environment and can only be used as a direction indicator, which is inefficient.

[0003] In voice interaction, micro-motor, vibration motor, and single encoder motor solutions, due to their limited ability to express information, sensor information is not directly mapped to the actuator. Intermediate data processing is required to convert it into a concise message to be conveyed to the blind person before it is presented. To ensure the accuracy of the summarized information, more sensors (gyroscopes, accelerometers, GPS, etc.) are required to participate in data processing. This is particularly evident in the "voice interaction solution" and "single encoder motor solution." The cane needs to understand the current road conditions, summarize them into refined voice information or direction information, and then convey them to the blind person. In other solutions, the actuator cannot accurately express numerical information, so the cane needs to use "0" and "1" threshold information to express environmental information. The cane also needs to understand the environment and make decisions.

[0004] In the above-mentioned existing solutions, the blind stick is responsible for analyzing the original data. This results in: large hardware requirements for the blind stick, high cost of the blind stick, difficult software editing, and low versatility; the information obtained by the blind is secondary processed information. If the information of the blind stick is not processed properly, the blind person cannot correct it and can only bear the consequences. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to overcome some of the problems mentioned in the above background, the present invention provides a tactile feedback cane to at least partially solve the above problems.

[0006] According to the technical solution of the present invention, a tactile feedback cane is provided, comprising a handle shell, a distance feedback component, a distance sensor, and a controller. The distance sensor is arranged on the handle shell, and the distance feedback component is arranged in conjunction with the handle shell.

[0007] The distance feedback assembly includes a slider, a servo and a driver. The slider is slidably arranged on the handle housing. The driver is configured to drive the servo when working, and the servo drives the slider to move up and down.

[0008] The controller receives the signal of the distance measuring sensor and controls the driver to work after processing the signal.

[0009] Furthermore, the servo is provided with a sheave, and the sheave and the slider are connected by a steel wire rope to form a closed loop. The sheave is configured to drive the steel wire rope when rotating and thereby drive the slider to slide up and down on the handle shell.

[0010] Furthermore, a vertical slide groove is provided on the handle shell, and a micro bearing is connected to the slider. The slider can be slidably connected to the vertical slide groove, and the micro bearing reduces the friction brought to the palm or the leather cover set on the handle shell during the sliding process of the slider.

[0011] Furthermore, the distance feedback assembly further includes a first hollow tube, a second hollow tube, and a hollow tube joint, one end of the steel wire rope sequentially passes through the hollow tube joint and the first hollow tube to be connected to one end of the slider, and the other end of the steel wire rope sequentially passes through the hollow tube joint and the second hollow tube to be connected to the other end of the slider;

[0012] The two ends of the first hollow tube are respectively connected to the top end of the vertical slide and the hollow tube joint, and the two ends of the second hollow tube are respectively arranged at the bottom end of the vertical slide and the hollow tube joint. A tensioning spring is provided at the connection position between the second hollow tube and the hollow tube joint.

[0013] Furthermore, a sensing area is provided on the handle shell, and a plurality of vertical slide grooves are evenly arranged in the sensing area, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the vertical slide grooves, the slider, the sheave and the steering gear;

[0014] A blocking cover is provided on the top of the handle shell, and the handle shell is also provided with a blind stick hole so as to facilitate simultaneous use with a blind stick.

[0015] Furthermore, the number of the vertical chutes is 16, the sensing area is arc-shaped, and the angle between two adjacent vertical chutes and the center of the arc is 7.5°.

[0016] Furthermore, the distance measuring sensor adopts a laser radar.

[0017] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for using a tactile feedback cane, which measures the distance ahead through a distance measuring sensor to obtain two-dimensional point cloud data, and calculates the distance of the point at the corresponding angle of each vertical slide.

[0018] The calculated information is transmitted to the processor, which processes the received signal and controls the driver to work;

[0019] The drivers drive the corresponding servos to work and then drive the sliders to slide up and down in the vertical slide grooves to the corresponding positions. When the user grasps the handle shell, the distance to the obstacle on the plane at the corresponding angle can be determined by the position of the slider on the corresponding vertical slide groove.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] This invention transmits information accurately and quickly through the position of the slider in the chute, making it simple and intuitive for the user to perceive. The perceived spatial information is directly mapped to the slider, eliminating the need for the cane to understand the environment. The cane is solely responsible for mapping sensor-perceived information to the slider, leaving information processing to the blind person. This "intelligence-free" design is simple and reliable, significantly reducing hardware requirements and software editing complexity.

[0022] The present invention realizes the expression of multiple continuous information at the same time by setting multiple sliders, so that the blind can obtain accurate and real environmental information. The cane itself only needs to perform simple mapping and does not require complex calculations. It is safer, more reliable, and less prone to bugs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a simplified structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a simplified structural diagram of the handle housing and the distance measuring sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a distance feedback component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a transmission demonstration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a simulation diagram of an application of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 is a line information diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 yes Figure 6 The distance information of the embodiment is processed into an image.

[0031] Figure 9 yes Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the slider position of the embodiment.

[0032] In the figure, 2-distance measuring sensor; 11-handle housing; 111-vertical slide; 112-miniature bearing; 121-slider; 122-servo; 124-groove wheel; 125-first hollow tube; 126-second hollow tube; 127-hollow tube joint; 128-tension spring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments; based on the embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection.

[0034] like Figure 1-Figure 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a tactile feedback cane, comprising a handle shell 11, a distance feedback component, a distance sensor 2, and a controller. The distance sensor 2 is disposed on the handle shell 11, and the distance feedback component is disposed in conjunction with the handle shell 11.

[0035] The distance feedback assembly includes a slider 121, a servo 122, and a driver. The slider 121 is slidably disposed on the handle housing 11. The driver is configured to drive the servo 122 to work, and the servo 122 drives the slider 121 to move up and down.

[0036] The controller receives the signal from the distance measuring sensor 2 and controls the operation of the driver after processing; the controller is electrically connected to the driver on the distance feedback component, and the driver can be a motor such as a reduction motor that can drive the servo 122 to work. The distance feedback component can be set on the handle shell 11 or partially separated from the handle shell 11.

[0037] In a further implementation of this embodiment, a sheave 124 is provided on the servo 122, and the sheave 124 is connected to the slider 121 by a steel wire rope to form a closed loop. The sheave 124 is configured to drive the steel wire rope and then drive the slider 121 to slide up and down on the handle shell 11 when rotating.

[0038] In a further implementation of this embodiment, the distance feedback assembly further includes a first hollow tube 125, a second hollow tube 126, and a hollow tube joint 127. One end of the wire rope passes through the hollow tube joint 127 and the first hollow tube 125 in sequence to be connected to one end of the slider 121. The other end of the wire rope passes through the hollow tube joint 127 and the second hollow tube 126 in sequence to be connected to the other end of the slider 121.

[0039] The two ends of the first hollow tube 125 are respectively connected to the top end of the vertical slide 111 and the hollow tube joint 127, and the two ends of the second hollow tube 126 are respectively arranged on the bottom end of the vertical slide 111 and the hollow tube joint 127. A tensioning spring is provided at the connection position between the second hollow tube 126 and the hollow tube joint 127.

[0040] In a further implementation of this embodiment, a vertical slide groove 111 is provided on the handle shell 11, and a micro bearing 112 is connected to the slider 121. The slider 121 can be slidably connected to the vertical slide groove 111, and the micro bearing 112 reduces the friction brought to the palm or the leather cover set on the handle shell 11 during the sliding process of the slider 121.

[0041] In a further embodiment of this embodiment, a sensing area is provided on the handle housing 11, and a plurality of vertical slide grooves 111 are evenly arranged in the sensing area 113, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the vertical slide grooves 111, the slider 121, the sheave 124 and the servo 122;

[0042] A blocking cover is provided at the top of the handle shell 11 , and the handle shell 11 is also provided with a blind stick hole so as to facilitate simultaneous use with a blind stick.

[0043] In a further implementation of this embodiment, the number of the vertical chutes 111 is 16, the sensing area 113 is arc-shaped, and the angle between two adjacent vertical chutes 111 and the line connecting the center of the arc is 7.5°.

[0044] In a further implementation of this embodiment, the distance measuring sensor 2 is a laser radar.

[0045] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for using a tactile feedback cane. During use, the distance sensor 2 measures the distance in front to obtain two-dimensional point cloud data, and calculates the position of each slider 121 in the vertical slot 111 at the corresponding angle.

[0046] The calculated information is transmitted to the processor, which processes the received signal and controls the driver to work;

[0047] The drivers drive the corresponding servos 122 to work and then drive the sliders 121 to slide up and down in the vertical slide grooves 111 to corresponding positions. When the user grasps the handle shell 11, the distance to the obstacle on the plane at the corresponding angle can be determined by the position of the sliders 121 on the corresponding vertical slide grooves 111.

[0048] It should be noted that: the ranging sensor 2 is a laser radar, and the detected environmental information is two-dimensional point cloud data. The mapping method is: "After calculation, the distance between the feature point and the handle shell in the corresponding direction is proportional to the distance between the slider and the top", the slide arrangement range is 120°, the number of vertical slide grooves 111 is 16, the slide grooves are arranged vertically, and the slide groove drive method is line drive.

[0049] The above technical details are used as examples only. Actual applications may differ (e.g., laser radar is replaced with a depth camera, the number and angle of the slides are changed, etc.).

[0050] The side of the handle housing 11 is provided with a 120° sensing area, which is arranged with 16 vertical slots. Each slot has a slider that can slide along the slot. The slot has a miniature bearing and is connected to a wire rope. Assuming that the angle of the first slot is 0°, the angle of the next nth slot is 7.5(n-1)°. Let the angle corresponding to slot n be A n .

[0051] A laser radar is fixed on the blind stick to obtain two-dimensional point cloud data, and the distance of each point at the corresponding angle of the vertical slide is calculated, which is set as L n .

[0052] The slider on the vertical slide 111 is adjusted to the corresponding position according to the distance between the angle points. For example, the farther the distance between the points is, the lower the slider is; the closer the distance between the points is, the higher the slider is.

[0053] In this way, when the user grasps the handle shell, he can determine the position of A by the slider on the slot n. n The distance L of the obstacle on the plane at the angle n In the upper handle shell model, users can simultaneously obtain distance information in 16 directions on a plane.

[0054] In the above-mentioned handle shell 11, each vertical slide groove 111 is connected to hollow tubes on both sides, namely the first hollow tube 125 and the second hollow tube 126. The two hollow tubes are wrapped with a steel wire rope to connect the servo 122 and the slider 121 to form a loop. The steel wire rope is connected to the sheave 124, so that the servo 122 drives the sheave 124 to work and then the slider 121 can be driven at a long distance through the movement of the steel wire rope.

[0055] There are 16 steering gears 122, and each steering gear 122 is connected to a sheave 124. A wire rope is wound around and fixed on the sheave 124. When the sheave 124 rotates, the rope on one side shortens and the other side extends, thereby driving the movement of the slider 121.

[0056] A hollow tube joint 127 connects two hollow tubes (i.e., a first hollow tube 125 and a second hollow tube 126), through which a steel wire rope passes. One of the two hollow tubes is fixed to the stationary side of the hollow tube joint 127, while the other is fixed to the tensioning side. The stationary side is fixed, while a tensioning spring 128 is located on the tensioning side, exerting an upward force on the hollow tubes.

[0057] A servo 122 drives a wire rope loop. The elastic force on the tensioning side tends to lengthen the pipe wrapped around the wire rope, while the length of the wire rope remains unchanged, which can play the role of tensioning and overload protection.

[0058] like Figure 6 Scan the position shown, the scanning range is the yellow part, on which 16 directions of lines are divided, and the line information within the scanning range is as follows Figure 7 The length of the green line is the distance between points in each direction, and the distance information is processed as follows Figure 8 As shown, at this time, the position distance information of the slider 121 set in the vertical slide groove 111 on the handle shell 11 is reversed, and the positions of the 16 sliders are as follows Figure 9 The specific mapping method can be configured at will. The user can sense this information with their palm and determine that there is an obstacle about 1.2 meters away within the range of 20 degrees from the center to the left. The same applies to the right side. In other directions, the lower the slider, the farther the obstacle is, and the larger the space is. In short, for this controller shell configuration, the higher the slider, the closer the obstacle is in that direction.

[0059] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A tactile feedback cane, characterized in that: It includes a handle shell, a distance feedback component, a distance sensor and a controller, wherein the distance sensor is arranged on the handle shell, and the distance feedback component is arranged in conjunction with the handle shell; The distance feedback assembly includes a slider, a servo and a driver. The slider is slidably arranged on the handle housing. The driver is configured to drive the servo when working, and the servo drives the slider to move up and down. The controller receives the signal of the distance measuring sensor and controls the driver to work after processing the signal.

2. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 1, characterized in that: The servo is provided with a sheave, which is connected to the slider via a steel wire rope to form a closed loop. The sheave is configured to drive the slider to slide up and down on the handle housing by driving the steel wire rope when rotating.

3. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 2, characterized in that: A vertical slide groove is provided on the handle shell, a miniature bearing is connected to the slider, and the slider can be slidably connected to the vertical slide groove.

4. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 3, characterized in that: The distance feedback assembly further includes a first hollow tube, a second hollow tube, and a hollow tube joint. One end of the steel wire rope passes through the hollow tube joint and the first hollow tube in sequence to be connected to one end of the slider. The other end of the steel wire rope passes through the hollow tube joint and the second hollow tube in sequence to be connected to the other end of the slider. The two ends of the first hollow tube are respectively connected to the top end of the vertical slide and the hollow tube joint, and the two ends of the second hollow tube are respectively arranged at the bottom end of the vertical slide and the hollow tube joint. A tensioning spring is provided at the connection position between the second hollow tube and the hollow tube joint.

5. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 4, characterized in that: A sensing area is provided on the handle shell, and a plurality of vertical slide grooves are evenly arranged in the sensing area, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the vertical slide grooves, the slider, the sheave and the servo; A blocking cover is provided on the top of the handle shell, and the handle shell is also provided with a blind stick hole so as to facilitate simultaneous use with a blind stick.

6. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 5, characterized in that: The number of the vertical chutes is 16, the sensing area is arc-shaped, and the angle between two adjacent vertical chutes and the line connecting the center of the arc is 7.5°.

7. The tactile feedback cane according to claim 6, characterized in that: The distance measuring sensor adopts laser radar.

8. A method for using a tactile feedback cane, characterized in that: When in use, the distance to the front is measured by the distance measuring sensor to obtain two-dimensional point cloud data, and the distance to the point at the corresponding angle of each vertical chute is calculated; The calculated information is transmitted to the processor, which processes the received signal and controls the driver to work; The drivers drive the corresponding servos to work and then drive the sliders to slide up and down in the vertical slide grooves to the corresponding positions. When the user grasps the handle shell, the distance to the obstacle on the plane at the corresponding angle can be determined by the position of the slider on the corresponding vertical slide groove.

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