Intelligent walking assisting exoskeleton in visual impaired environment

Abstract

The invention discloses an intelligent walking assisting exoskeleton in a visual impaired environment, and belongs to the field of wearable robots. According to the scheme, the exoskeleton comprises a lightweight exoskeleton main body; the environment sensing system is composed of a laser radar, a camera and an ultrasonic sensor; a navigation obstacle avoidance system based on an SLAM algorithm; the man-machine interaction system comprises a bone conduction earphone and a controller; a power system; the invention further discloses an intention recognition system fusing myoelectricity and electroencephalogram. In addition, functions of fall detection and remote monitoring are integrated. According to the invention, environment perception, intelligent navigation and physical assistance are integrated, the path can be planned in real time, the walking intention can be identified, accurate assistance can be provided, and the autonomy and safety of walking in a visual impaired environment can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of wearable robot technology, specifically to an intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments. Background Technology

[0002] With societal development, the travel needs of visually impaired individuals are receiving increasing attention. Currently, visually impaired individuals mainly rely on canes, guide dogs, or assistance from others for travel. These methods have many limitations: canes can only detect obstacles in front of them, but cannot identify the type and distance of obstacles; guide dogs are expensive to train and limited in number; and assistance from others restricts the freedom of movement for visually impaired individuals.

[0003] Existing exoskeleton robots are mainly used for rehabilitation training, military assistance, or industrial handling, with very few exoskeleton products specifically designed for visually impaired individuals. Although there are some assistive systems for the visually impaired, such as AI glasses and guide robots, these products can only provide environmental information or only provide a mobile platform; they cannot simultaneously provide walking assistance and environmental perception functions, thus failing to meet the travel needs of visually impaired individuals.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a smart walking assistive exoskeleton specifically designed for visually impaired individuals, combining environmental perception, obstacle avoidance navigation, and walking assistance functions to help them walk more safely and easily. Simultaneously, it could also provide walking assistance to sighted individuals in complex visually limited conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments, in order to solve the problem of inconvenience in travel for visually impaired individuals in the prior art, as well as the assistive work needs of able-bodied individuals under complex visually limited conditions.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] An intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments includes an exoskeleton body comprising a waist fixation component, a thigh assist component, a lower leg assist component, and a foot support component, for providing walking assistance to the wearer; an environmental perception system including a lidar, a camera, and an ultrasonic sensor for detecting obstacle information in the surrounding environment; a navigation and obstacle avoidance system including a processor and a navigation module for planning a walking path based on information acquired by the environmental perception system and implementing obstacle avoidance functions; a human-computer interaction system including bone conduction headphones and a controller for providing environmental information to the wearer in visually impaired environments and controlling the movement of the exoskeleton; a power system including a motor and a battery for providing power to the exoskeleton; and an intent recognition system including an electromyography (EMG) sensor and an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor for recognizing the wearer's walking intent.

[0008] Furthermore, the main body of the exoskeleton is made of lightweight materials, including carbon fiber and aluminum alloy, with an overall weight of no more than 8kg, ensuring comfortable wear.

[0009] Furthermore, the lidar in the environmental perception system is used to detect obstacles within a 10-meter range ahead, the camera is used to identify the type of obstacle, and the ultrasonic sensor is used to detect obstacles at close range, ensuring the walking safety of the wearer in a visually impaired environment.

[0010] Furthermore, the navigation and obstacle avoidance system uses the SLAM algorithm to construct an environmental map and plans the optimal walking path according to the wearer's destination. When an obstacle is encountered, the path is automatically adjusted and the wearer is alerted through bone conduction headphones.

[0011] Furthermore, the bone conduction headphones in the human-computer interaction system are used to provide wearers in visually impaired environments with real-time environmental information, such as the type and distance of obstacles in front, walking direction, etc., and the controller is used to set the destination and adjust the assist mode.

[0012] Furthermore, the motor in the power system is a servo motor, installed at the hip and knee joints to provide walking assistance to the wearer, and the battery is a lithium battery with a battery life of no less than 8 hours.

[0013] Furthermore, the electromyography (EMG) sensor in the intention recognition system is installed on the wearer's thigh muscles to detect the electrical signals of the muscles and identify walking intentions; the electroencephalography (EEG) sensor is installed on the wearer's head to detect brain signals and identify walking intentions. When the EMG signal cannot be accurately identified, the EEG signal can be used for auxiliary identification.

[0014] Furthermore, the exoskeleton also includes a fall detection system, including an accelerometer and a gyroscope, to detect the wearer's walking posture and automatically adjust the assist mode to prevent the wearer from falling when a fall risk is detected.

[0015] Furthermore, the exoskeleton also includes a remote monitoring system for transmitting the wearer's walking and health data to family members or doctors in order to monitor the wearer's travel or work safety in real time.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0017] 1. Combining environmental perception, obstacle avoidance navigation, and walking assistance functions, it is specifically designed for the travel or work needs of visually impaired individuals, helping them walk more safely and easily, and also providing assistance to workers in visually limited conditions.

[0018] 2. Utilizing bone conduction technology, it provides wearers in visually impaired environments with real-time environmental information without affecting their ability to hear surrounding sounds;

[0019] 3. Made of lightweight materials, the overall weight does not exceed 8kg, ensuring comfortable wear;

[0020] 4. Employing electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG) sensors to identify walking intentions enables more precise control;

[0021] 5. Equipped with a fall detection system and a remote monitoring system to ensure the wearer's safety while traveling or working. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the environmental sensing system of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the navigation and obstacle avoidance system of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the intent recognition system of this invention.

[0026] In the diagram: 1-lumbar fixation component; 2-thigh assist component; 3-calf assist component; 4-foot support component; 5-LiDAR; 6-camera; 7-ultrasound sensor; 8-bone conduction headphones; 9-controller; 10-motor; 11-battery; 12-EMG sensor; 13-EEG sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the intelligent walking assistance exoskeleton for visually impaired environments of the present invention includes an exoskeleton body, an environmental perception system, a navigation and obstacle avoidance system, a human-computer interaction system, a power system, and an intent recognition system.

[0029] The exoskeleton consists of a lumbar fixation component 1, a thigh assist component 2, a calf assist component 3, and a foot support component 4. Made of carbon fiber and aluminum alloy, its overall weight does not exceed 8 kg, ensuring comfortable wear. The lumbar fixation component 1 secures the exoskeleton to the wearer's waist. The thigh and calf assist components 2 and 3 provide support and assistance to the wearer's thighs and calves, respectively. The foot support component 4 supports the wearer's feet, providing stable support.

[0030] like Figure 2 As shown, the environmental perception system includes a lidar 5, a camera 6, and an ultrasonic sensor 7. The lidar 5 is installed in front of the waist fixation component 1 to detect obstacles within a 10-meter range in front; the camera 6 is installed above the lidar 5 to identify the type of obstacle; and the ultrasonic sensor 7 is installed in front of the foot support component 4 to detect obstacles at close range, ensuring the wearer's walking safety.

[0031] The navigation and obstacle avoidance system includes a processor and a navigation module. The processor is installed inside the waist fixation component 1, and the navigation module uses the SLAM algorithm to build an environmental map and plan the optimal walking path based on the wearer's destination. When the environmental perception system detects an obstacle, the navigation and obstacle avoidance system automatically adjusts the path and alerts the wearer through the bone conduction headphones 8, such as "There is an obstacle 5 meters ahead, please detour to the left."

[0032] The human-computer interaction system includes bone conduction headphones 8 and controller 9. The bone conduction headphones 8 are installed on the wearer's ears to provide the wearer with real-time environmental information, such as the type and distance of obstacles in front, walking direction, etc. The controller 9 is installed on the side of the waist fixation component 1 to set the destination and adjust the assist mode. The wearer can operate the controller 9 by voice or button.

[0033] The power system includes a motor 10 and a battery 11. The motor 10 is a servo motor, installed at the hip and knee joints, to provide walking assistance to the wearer and adjust the amount of assistance according to the wearer's walking intention. The battery 11 is a lithium battery, installed on the back of the waist fixation component 1, with a battery life of no less than 8 hours.

[0034] The intention recognition system includes an electromyography (EMG) sensor 12 and an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor 13. The EMG sensor 12 is installed on the wearer's thigh muscles to detect the electrical signals of the muscles and recognize walking intentions, such as walking, turning, or stopping. The EEG sensor 13 is installed on the wearer's head to detect brain signals and recognize walking intentions. When the EMG signal cannot be accurately recognized, the EEG signal can be used for auxiliary recognition.

[0035] The fall detection system includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope, which are installed inside the waist fixation component 1 to detect the wearer's walking posture. When a fall risk is detected, the system automatically adjusts the assist mode to increase support and prevent the wearer from falling. It also alerts the wearer through bone conduction headphones 8, "Please note that you are at risk of falling. Please slow down your walking speed."

[0036] The remote monitoring system includes a communication module installed inside the waist fixation component 1, which is used to transmit the wearer's walking data and health data to a family member or doctor's mobile phone or computer in order to monitor the wearer's travel or work safety in real time.

[0037] The working principle of this invention is as follows:

[0038] After wearing the exoskeleton in a visually impaired environment, the destination is set via controller 9; the environmental perception system begins to detect obstacle information in the surrounding environment, lidar 5 detects obstacles within a 10-meter range in front, camera 6 identifies the type of obstacle, and ultrasonic sensor 7 detects nearby obstacles; the navigation and obstacle avoidance system plans a walking path based on the information obtained by the environmental perception system and provides walking direction guidance to the wearer through bone conduction headphones 8; the intention recognition system identifies the wearer's walking intention through electromyography sensor 12 and electroencephalography sensor 13, and the power system provides corresponding assistance based on the walking intention; when encountering obstacles, the navigation and obstacle avoidance system automatically adjusts the path and alerts the wearer through bone conduction headphones 8; the fall detection system monitors the wearer's walking posture in real time, and automatically adjusts the assistance mode when a fall risk is detected to prevent the wearer from falling; the remote monitoring system transmits the wearer's walking data and health data to family members or doctors to monitor the wearer's travel or work safety in real time.

Claims

1. An intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments, characterized in that... include: The exoskeleton body includes a waist fixation component (1), a thigh assist component (2), a calf assist component (3), and a foot support component (4) to assist the wearer in walking in a visually impaired environment; an environmental perception system includes a lidar (5), a camera (6), and an ultrasonic sensor (7) to detect obstacle information in the surrounding environment; a navigation and obstacle avoidance system includes a processor and a navigation module to plan a walking path based on information obtained from the environmental perception system and to achieve obstacle avoidance; a human-computer interaction system includes a bone conduction headset (8) and a controller (9) to provide environmental information to the wearer in a visually impaired environment and to control the movement of the exoskeleton; a power system includes a motor (10) and a battery (11) to provide power to the exoskeleton; and an intention recognition system includes an electromyography sensor (12) and an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor (13) to recognize the wearer's walking intention in a visually impaired environment.

2. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lidar (5) is used to detect obstacles within a 10-meter range in front, the camera (6) is used to identify the type of obstacle, and the ultrasonic sensor (7) is used to detect obstacles at close range.

3. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The navigation and obstacle avoidance system uses the SLAM algorithm to construct an environmental map and plans the optimal walking path based on the wearer's destination.

4. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bone conduction headphones (8) are used to provide real-time environmental information for wearers in visually impaired environments, and the controller (9) is used to set the destination and adjust the assist mode.

5. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The motor (10) is a servo motor, installed at the hip and knee joints, and the battery (11) is a lithium battery with a battery life of no less than 8 hours.

6. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The electromyography (EMG) sensor (12) is installed on the wearer's thigh muscle to detect the electrical signals of the muscle, and the electroencephalography (EEG) sensor (13) is installed on the wearer's head to detect the EEG signals.

7. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a fall detection system, which includes an accelerometer and a gyroscope to detect the wearer's walking posture and automatically adjust the assist mode when a fall risk is detected.

8. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a remote monitoring system for transmitting the wearer’s walking data and health data to family members or doctors.

9. The intelligent walking assistive exoskeleton for visually impaired environments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The human-computer interaction system supports voice and button operation.

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