Direction Decision Unit for Visually Impaired Navigation Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visually impaired individuals face challenges in determining the correct direction, especially on wide crosswalks without acoustic traffic lights or Braille blocks, leading to anxiety due to uncertainty about their path.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that includes a direction decision unit to determine the correct walking direction and a guide information generation unit to provide guidance to visually impaired individuals using a smartphone with a camera, GPS, and sensors, generating audio cues to ensure they walk in the right direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional white canes and Braille blocks are used for guidance, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the guidance capability is insufficient on wide crosswalks and flat roads without Braille blocks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an information processing apparatus as an intermediary between the visually impaired person and the environment. This apparatus captures images, recognizes road markings and crosswalks, and provides audio guidance, serving as a mediator that bridges the gap between traditional simple tools and the complex visual information in the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical guidance systems (white canes, Braille blocks) with an optical and acoustic system. The camera captures visual information, the processor analyzes it, and the speaker provides audio feedback, substituting mechanical contact-based guidance with sensor-based perception and acoustic communication.
2Ease of operation
If no guidance system is provided on wide crosswalks without acoustic traffic lights, then the system remains simple, but the user experiences anxiety and uncertainty about walking direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the information processing apparatus continuously monitors the user's position and direction, compares it with the recognized road layout, and provides real-time audio feedback to correct deviations. This closed-loop feedback system builds user confidence by providing continuous confirmation of correct path following.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus enables the visually impaired person to independently navigate wide crosswalks and flat roads without external assistance. The system autonomously captures images, processes them to identify road markings and crosswalks, determines the correct walking direction, and provides guidance, allowing the user to self-navigate confidently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If Braille blocks are used to indicate direction, then the implementation is straightforward, but the coverage is limited to areas with Braille blocks and does not extend to wide flat roads
Solution Approach 1:
The information processing apparatus serves multiple functions: it identifies road markings, recognizes crosswalks, determines walking directions, and provides audio guidance. This multi-functional system replaces multiple specialized tools (white canes for obstacle detection, Braille blocks for directional guidance) with a single universal device that handles various navigation scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters from static Braille blocks to dynamic image processing. The system captures real-time images, processes them to extract road marking information, and adapts the guidance based on the analyzed visual data, enabling coverage of environments where Braille blocks are absent.
Data Source
AI summary
A processing unit includes a direction decision unit and a guide information generation unit. The direction decision unit decides a direction in which a person who behaves without a sense of sight walks. The guide information generation unit generates guide information for the person who behaves without the sense of sight to walk in the decided direction. The present technology is applicable, for example, to a smartphone or the like used by the person who behaves without the sense of sight.