Crosswalk guidance system

Abstract

To provide a crosswalk guidance system for generating guidance sound only in the neighborhood of a visually handicapped person.SOLUTION: A crosswalk guidance system includes: an ultrasonic signal transmitter 1 for transmitting an ultrasonic signal having a directivity; and a mounted terminal 2 mounted by a visually handicapped person U. The ultrasonic signal transmitter 1 is connected to a signal controller S. The signal controller S performs output control of the ultrasonic signal from first and second transmission sections 11, 12 based on input signals to be input when a lighting state of first and second pedestrian signal lights is green. The mounted terminal 2 includes: a reception section 21 for receiving the ultrasonic signal; a speaker 22 for outputting guidance sound; and a control section 23. The control section 23 continuously outputs the guidance sound corresponding to a transmission interval of the received ultrasonic signal F2 to the speaker 22 during the reception of the ultrasonic signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This relates to a guidance system that provides audio guidance to visually impaired people crossing a pedestrian crossing. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an acoustic guidance device for visually impaired people that uses two speakers installed at a crosswalk to output guidance sounds from both ends of the crosswalk to visually impaired people crossing the crosswalk.

[0003] In conventional guidance devices for the visually impaired, which use speakers installed at such intersections to provide guidance to visually impaired people, audio guidance sounds that imitate bird calls, such as "peep, peep," are used for crosswalks running north-south, and "cuckoo, cuckoo" for crosswalks running east-west.

[0004] Therefore, visually impaired people can confirm the crosswalk they should cross at the intersection from the guidance sound in the general direction of their destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-123281 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the guidance device for visually impaired people disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that if it outputs guidance sounds at night, especially in the middle of the night, residents living near the intersection will complain about the noise.

[0007] Therefore, it is possible to reduce the volume of the sound output at night, but reducing the volume also creates the problem that it becomes difficult for visually impaired people to hear.

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a pedestrian crossing guidance system that generates guidance sounds only in the vicinity of visually impaired people. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the crosswalk guidance system of the present invention is a guidance system for visually impaired people at an intersection having first and second crosswalks located in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, which guides visually impaired people crossing the crosswalks, and comprises an ultrasonic signal transmitter that transmits first and second directional ultrasonic signals with the first and second crosswalks as transmission directions, respectively, and a wearable terminal worn by the visually impaired person, and the ultrasonic signal transmitter controls the first pedestrian signal lamp that controls the lighting of the first crosswalk to light green, and the second pedestrian signal lamp that controls the lighting of the second crosswalk to light green. only when the LED of the wearable terminal is lit green, the wearable terminal repeatedly transmits the first and second ultrasonic signals at a set transmission interval to a first communication area including the first crosswalk and a waiting area for crossing the crosswalk, and a second communication area including the second crosswalk and a waiting area for crossing the crosswalk, and the wearable terminal is composed of a receiving unit that receives the ultrasonic signals, a speaker unit that outputs a guiding sound, and a control unit that is connected to the receiving unit and the speaker unit, and the control unit continuously outputs the guiding sound to the speaker unit according to the transmission interval of the received ultrasonic signal for a period during which the ultrasonic signal is being received. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the crosswalk guidance system of the present invention, when a visually impaired person wears a wearable terminal, the visually impaired person can cross the crosswalk safely by the guidance sound output from the speaker unit of the wearable terminal, and since the guidance sound M is output only in the vicinity of the visually impaired person, there is no problem with noise at night that occurs with the above-mentioned acoustic guidance device for the visually impaired.

[0011] Furthermore, the wearable device receives ultrasonic signals that are repeatedly transmitted at different transmission intervals depending on the direction of crossing, and a guiding sound corresponding to the direction of crossing is output from the speaker unit, so visually impaired people will not cross the crosswalk in the wrong direction.

[0012] Furthermore, since the wearable device detects and processes only the ultrasonic signals that are repeatedly transmitted at a predetermined transmission interval, it will not mistakenly detect various accidental ultrasonic signals that occur in the surrounding area and provide incorrect guidance to visually impaired people. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of an intersection with a pedestrian crossing. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a pedestrian crossing guidance system. [Figure 3] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the lighting state of a pedestrian signal light and the transmission state of an ultrasonic signal. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the control unit of the wearable terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiment. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of an intersection with a pedestrian crossing, and Figure 2 is a system block diagram of a pedestrian crossing guidance system. At the intersection C, a first road D1 running in a first direction, for example, an east-west direction, intersects with a second road D2 running in a north-south direction perpendicular to the east-west direction, forming a pedestrian crossing H. Furthermore, at the intersection C, a first pedestrian crossing H1 is provided on the first road D1, and a second pedestrian crossing H2 is provided on the second road D2, forming a pedestrian crossing H.

[0015] The first crosswalk H1 is composed of crosswalks H11 and H12 located on either side of the second road D2, and the second crosswalk H2 is composed of a pair of crosswalks H21 and H22 located on either side of the first road D1.

[0016] In addition, at the crosswalks H11 and H12, which are the first crosswalk H1, a pair of first pedestrian signal lights L1 are installed on either side of the first road D1, meaning that a total of four first pedestrian signal lights L1 are installed along the first road D1, and all of these first pedestrian signal lights L1 have the same lighting control.

[0017] Similarly, at the second crosswalk H2, which consists of crosswalks H21 and H22, a pair of second pedestrian signal lights L2 are installed on either side of the second road D2, meaning that a total of four second pedestrian signal lights L2 are installed along the second road D2, and all of these second pedestrian signal lights L2 are controlled to light up in the same way.

[0018] The first and second pedestrian signal lights L1, L2 are controlled by a signal controller S connected to the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1, L2, which periodically alternate between green light, flashing green light, and red light.

[0019] Only one signal controller S is installed on a pillar or the like at intersection C, and controls the lighting of not only the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2, but also vehicle signal lights (not shown) by periodically switching between green, yellow, and red.

[0020] At the intersection C shown in Figure 1, a traffic light controller S is located in the waiting area T at the top left, and the connection lines between the first and second pedestrian traffic light devices L1 and L2 installed at waiting areas T other than the top left and the traffic light controller S are omitted from the illustration.

[0021] The crosswalk guidance system provides guidance to visually impaired persons U crossing the first and second crosswalks H1 and H2, and is composed of an ultrasonic signal transmitting device 1 that transmits directional ultrasonic signals F, and a wearable terminal 2 worn by the visually impaired persons U.

[0022] The ultrasonic signal transmitting device 1 is composed of a first transmitting unit 11 whose transmission direction is the crossing direction of the first crosswalk H1, a second transmitting unit 12 whose transmission direction is the crossing direction of the second crosswalk H2, and a processing unit 13 connected to these first and second transmitting units 11 and 12.

[0023] The first transmitting unit 11 is made up of transmitters 111 and 112 arranged opposite each other across a crosswalk H11, and transmitters 113 and 114 arranged opposite each other across a crosswalk H12.

[0024] The second transmitting unit 12 is made up of transmitters 121 and 122 arranged opposite each other across a crosswalk H21, and transmitters 123 and 124 arranged opposite each other across a crosswalk H22.

[0025] Transmitters 111, 112, transmitters 113, 114, transmitters 121, 122, transmitters 123, 124 output beam-shaped ultrasonic signals F with narrow directionality and communication area widths toward crosswalks H11, H12, H21, and H22, respectively. Each of transmitters 111-124 has a communication area R that includes crosswalks H11-H22 and waiting areas T where people wait to cross the crosswalks H11-H22.

[0026] Figure 1 shows a crosswalk guidance system consisting of a first transmitter 11, which is one of transmitters 111 to 114, a second transmitter 12, which is one of transmitters 121 to 124, and a processing unit 13 connected to these, at each of the waiting areas T at the four corners.

[0027] Alternatively, a single crosswalk guidance system may be configured by using only one processing unit 13 and connecting all of the first transmitting units 11 and second transmitting units 12 arranged at the intersection C. Furthermore, the processing unit 13 may be built into the housing of the signal controller S.

[0028] The processing unit 13 is connected to a traffic light controller S, and controls the output of the ultrasonic signal F by the first and second transmitting units 11 and 12 based on an input signal input from the traffic light controller S when the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2 are green. Note that the input signal may be input to the ultrasonic signal transmitting device 1 by branching off a power line that is applied to the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2 when they are green.

[0029] Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the lighting states of the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2 and the transmission states of the first and second ultrasonic signals F1 and F2 from the first and second transmitters 11 and 12 over time.

[0030] The processing unit 13 outputs a first ultrasonic signal F1 from the first transmitting unit 11 based on an input signal that is input only when the first pedestrian signal light L1 is in a green light state, and outputs a second ultrasonic signal F2, which has the same frequency as the first ultrasonic signal F1, from the second transmitting unit 12 based on an input signal that is input only when the second pedestrian signal light L2 is in a green light state.

[0031] Alternatively, the processing unit 13 may input cycle information indicating the lighting status of the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2 from the signal controller S, and from this cycle information, output a first ultrasonic signal F1 via the first transmitting unit 11 when the lighting status of the first pedestrian signal light L1 is green, and output a second ultrasonic signal F2 via the second transmitting unit 12 when the lighting status of the second pedestrian signal light L2 is green.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second ultrasonic signals F1 and F2 are set to be transmitted at a common frequency, e.g., 2.5 GHz, a common pulse width P, e.g., 100 msec, but at different transmission intervals K, e.g., the first ultrasonic signal F1 has a first transmission interval K1 of 100 msec, and the second ultrasonic signal F2 has a second transmission interval K2 of 50 msec.

[0033] At intersection C, a first ultrasonic signal F1 is transmitted via transmitters 111-114 at 100 msec intervals only when the first pedestrian signal L1 is green. Similarly, a second ultrasonic signal F2 is transmitted via transmitters 121-124 at 50 msec intervals only when the second pedestrian signal L2 is green. The frequency, pulse width P, and first and second transmission intervals K1, K2 of the ultrasonic signal F can be set to appropriate values.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, the wearable terminal 2 worn by the visually impaired person U is, for example, in the form of a pendant that can be worn around the neck, and is composed of a receiving unit 21 whose receiving area for ultrasonic signals F is in front of the wearer, a speaker unit 22 that outputs sound, and a control unit 23 that connects the receiving unit 21 and the speaker unit 22.

[0035] The wearable terminal 2 may have a shape other than a pendant shape so as to be worn on the ear, and any suitable shape can be adopted as long as the receiving area of ​​the receiving unit 21 of the wearer is in the front.

[0036] 4 is a flowchart of the processing of the control unit 23 of the wearable terminal 2, which starts when the power of the wearable terminal 2 is turned on. In step ST1, the control unit 23 determines whether or not an ultrasonic signal F is received via the receiving unit 21. The wearable terminal 2 will not receive the ultrasonic signal F via the receiving unit 21 unless the direction ahead matches the crossing direction of the crosswalk H, and if the ultrasonic signal F is not received, step ST1 is repeated until it is received.

[0037] Furthermore, in order to prevent erroneous guidance due to the misdetection of various accidental ultrasonic signals generated in the surrounding area, it is determined whether the frequency of the received ultrasonic signal matches the stored frequency and whether the pulse width P of the pulse signal transmitted at a predetermined interval matches the stored pulse width.

[0038] If they do not match, even if the receiving unit 21 receives an ultrasonic signal of the same frequency, it is determined that the ultrasonic signal F from the ultrasonic signal transmitting device 1 has not been received, and the processing of step ST1 is repeated.

[0039] In step ST1, if an ultrasonic signal F is received that has the same frequency as the stored frequency and the same pulse width P as the stored pulse width, transmitted at a predetermined interval, that is, if the pedestrian signal light L is lit green, the process proceeds to step ST2.

[0040] In step ST2, the control unit 23 determines whether the transmission interval K of the received ultrasonic signal F matches the stored first transmission interval K1. If they match, the process proceeds to step ST3.

[0041] When the process proceeds to step ST3, the first pedestrian signal light L1 is in the green lighting state, and the control unit 23 outputs the first guiding sound M1 via the speaker unit 22, and the process proceeds to step ST4. The green lighting of the first pedestrian signal light L1 is a lighting control for the first crosswalk H1 along the north-south direction in Fig. 1, so the speaker unit 22 outputs a "peep, peep" sound as the first guiding sound M1.

[0042] In step ST4, it is determined whether or not the first ultrasonic signal F1 is being received. If the first ultrasonic signal F1 is being received, the first pedestrian signal L1 continues to illuminate green, and the process returns to step ST3, where the speaker unit 22 continues to output the first guiding sound M1.

[0043] In step ST4, when the reception of the first ultrasonic signal F1 is completed, that is, when the first pedestrian signal light L1 starts flashing green and the transmission of the first ultrasonic signal F1 from the first transmitter 11 is stopped, the process proceeds to step ST5. In step ST5, the control unit 23 stops the output of the speaker unit 22, and then returns to step ST1.

[0044] In step ST2, if the transmission interval K of the received ultrasonic signal F is not the first transmission interval K1, the control unit 23 proceeds to step ST6 and determines whether the transmission interval K matches the second transmission interval K2. If they do not match, the process returns to step ST1, and if they match, the process proceeds to step ST7.

[0045] When the process proceeds to step ST7, the second pedestrian signal light L2 is in the green lighting state, and the control unit 23 outputs the second guiding sound M2 via the speaker unit 22, and the process proceeds to step ST8. The green lighting of the second pedestrian signal light L2 is a lighting control for crossing the second crosswalk H2 that runs in the east-west direction in Fig. 1, and therefore the speaker unit 22 outputs a "cuckoo, cuckoo" sound as the second guiding sound M2.

[0046] In step ST8, it is determined whether or not the second ultrasonic signal F2 is being received. If the second ultrasonic signal F2 is being received, the second pedestrian signal light L2 continues to illuminate green, and the process returns to step ST7, where the speaker unit 22 continues to output the second guiding sound M2.

[0047] The explanatory diagram of the intersection in Figure 1 shows the state in which steps ST7 and ST8 are repeated, and the system block diagram of the crosswalk guidance system in Figure 2 shows the state in which steps ST7 and ST8 are repeated at crosswalk H22.

[0048] In step ST8, when the reception of the second ultrasonic signal F2 is completed, that is, when the second pedestrian signal light L2 starts flashing green and the transmission of the second ultrasonic signal F2 from the second transmitter 12 is stopped, the process proceeds to step ST5. In step ST5, the control unit 23 stops the output of the speaker unit 22, and then returns to step ST1.

[0049] In this way, a visually impaired person U wearing the wearable terminal 2 can confirm the direction of travel by the guiding sound M from the speaker unit 22 and can determine whether it matches the direction they should be traveling.

[0050] In another embodiment of the present invention, each of the first and second transmission intervals K1 and K2 can be further divided into two transmission intervals K. After the first ultrasonic signal F1 at the first transmission interval K1, the first ultrasonic signal F1 at a third transmission interval K3, for example, an interval of 80 msec, is transmitted consecutively via the first transmission unit 11, and after the second ultrasonic signal F2 at the second transmission interval K2, the second ultrasonic signal F2 at a fourth transmission interval K4, for example, 30 msec, is transmitted consecutively via the second transmission unit 12.

[0051] These ultrasonic signals F with the third and fourth transmission intervals K3 and K4 notify the driver that the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1 and L2 are about to start flashing green, and are transmitted from the first and second transmitters 11 and 12, for example, 5 seconds before the green flashing begins.

[0052] The control unit 23 receives the first and second ultrasonic signals F1, F2 of the third and fourth transmission intervals K3, K4 via the receiving unit 21, and outputs the third and fourth guiding sounds M3, M4 in which the silent periods between the "peep" and "peep" and between the "cuckoo" and "cuckoo" corresponding to the first and second transmission intervals K1, K2 are shortened to a continuous "peep, peep" and a continuous "cuckoo, cuckoo" by shortening the silent periods of the first and second guiding sounds M1, M2, which have silent periods of, for example, 0.5 seconds.

[0053] In this way, by shortening the silent time between sounds when the guiding sound M is repeated, the visually impaired person U can hurry to cross the crosswalk H or wait until the light turns green during the next cycle, allowing him or her to cross the crosswalk H more safely.

[0054] In addition, the first and second ultrasonic signals F1, F2 transmitted at the third and fourth transmission intervals K3, K4 may be continuously transmitted from the first and second transmitting units 11, 12 until the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1, L2 are in the green flashing state, and in such a case, the transmission process from the first and second transmitting units 11, 12 will stop when the first and second pedestrian signal lights L1, L2 are switched to a red light.

[0055] Thus, according to the crosswalk guidance system of the present invention, when a visually impaired person U wears the wearable terminal 2, the guidance sound M output from the speaker unit 22 of the wearable terminal 2 enables the visually impaired person U to cross the crosswalk safely, and since the guidance sound M is output only in the vicinity of the visually impaired person U, there is no problem with noise at night that occurs with conventional acoustic guidance devices for the visually impaired.

[0056] Furthermore, the wearable terminal 2 receives the ultrasonic signal F that is repeatedly transmitted at a transmission interval K that varies depending on the crossing direction, and the speaker unit 22 outputs a guiding sound M that corresponds to the crossing direction, so that the visually impaired person U will not cross the crosswalk H in the wrong direction.

[0057] Furthermore, since the wearable terminal 2 receives and processes only the ultrasonic signal F that is repeatedly transmitted at a predetermined transmission interval, it will not mistakenly detect various accidental ultrasonic signals that occur in the surrounding area and provide incorrect guidance to the visually impaired person U.

[0058] Furthermore, the crosswalk guidance system of this invention is an invention that aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of "good health and well-being for all" and "sustainable cities and communities," and will provide a comfortable living environment not only for the visually impaired but also for local residents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 1. Ultrasonic signal transmitter 11 First transmitter 12 Second transmitter 13 Processing section 2 Wearable device 21 Receiving unit 22 Speaker section 23 Control Unit C intersection F1 First ultrasonic signal F2 Second ultrasonic signal H1 First crosswalk H2 Second crosswalk K1 First transmission interval K2 Second transmission interval K3 Third transmission interval K4 Fourth transmission interval L1 First pedestrian signal light L2 Second pedestrian signal light M1 First induction sound M2 Second induction sound M3 Third induction sound M4 4th Guiding Sound P Pulse width R Communication area T Waiting Area U Visually impaired

Claims

1. A guidance system for visually impaired persons that provides guidance to a visually impaired person crossing a crosswalk at an intersection having first and second crosswalks located in a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, The system comprises an ultrasonic signal transmitting device for transmitting first and second directional ultrasonic signals, respectively, with the first and second crosswalks as transmission directions, and a wearable terminal worn by the visually impaired person, the ultrasonic signal transmitting device repeatedly transmits the first and second ultrasonic signals at a set transmission interval to a first communication area including the first crosswalk and a waiting area for pedestrians waiting to cross the crosswalk, and to a second communication area including the second crosswalk and a waiting area for pedestrians waiting to cross the crosswalk, only when a first pedestrian signal lamp that controls lighting for the first crosswalk is lit green and a second pedestrian signal lamp that controls lighting for the second crosswalk is lit green; the wearable terminal is composed of a receiver that receives the ultrasonic signal, a speaker that outputs a guiding sound, and a controller that is connected to the receiver and the speaker; The control unit is configured to continuously output the guidance sound corresponding to the transmission interval of the received ultrasonic signal to the speaker unit for a period during which the ultrasonic signal is being received.

2. the first and second ultrasonic signals are pulse signals having a common frequency and a common pulse width; 2. The crosswalk guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines whether the received ultrasonic signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic signal transmitting device based on the frequency and the pulse width.

3. the ultrasonic signal transmitting device is composed of a first transmitting unit and a second transmitting unit, the first transmitter repeatedly transmits the first ultrasonic signal to the first communication area at a first transmission interval; the second transmitter repeatedly transmits the second ultrasonic signal to the second communication area at a second transmission interval; 3. The crosswalk guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit of the wearable terminal outputs a first guiding sound through the speaker unit when it determines that the transmission interval is the first transmission interval, and outputs a second guiding sound through the speaker unit when it determines that the transmission interval is the second transmission interval that is different from the first transmission interval.

4. the first transmitter transmits the first ultrasonic signal at the first transmission interval, followed by the first ultrasonic signal at a third transmission interval different from the first and second transmission intervals; the second transmitter transmits the second ultrasonic signal at the second transmission interval, followed by the second ultrasonic signal at a fourth transmission interval that is different from the first to third transmission intervals; 4. The pedestrian crossing guidance system according to claim 3, wherein the third and fourth guiding sounds output by the control unit through the speaker unit according to the third and fourth transmission intervals are guiding sounds in which the silent time between the first and second guiding sounds is shortened when the sounds of the first and second guiding sounds are repeated.

5. 5. The pedestrian crossing guidance system according to claim 4, wherein the first and second transmitters transmit the first and second ultrasonic signals at the third and fourth transmission intervals from a predetermined number of seconds before the first and second pedestrian signal lamps start flashing green.

6. 6. The pedestrian crossing guidance system according to claim 5, wherein the first and second transmitters continuously transmit the first and second ultrasonic signals at the third and fourth transmission intervals until the first and second pedestrian signal lamps enter a flashing green state.

7. 3. The crosswalk guidance system according to claim 1, wherein the wearable terminal is worn on the ear, and when worn on the ear, the receiving direction of the receiving unit is directed forward.

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