Guide Cane with Camera and Digital Object Identifier Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional guiding techniques for the blind primarily focus on forward movement and obstacle detection, failing to provide comprehensive information about the surrounding environment, making it difficult for the blind to navigate safely and conveniently, especially in complex or isolated areas.
Innovation Solution
An informational blind pathway with embedded digital object identifiers (such as two-dimensional codes, barcodes, or character codes) and a guide cane equipped with a camera module, processing module, and loudspeaker, which captures images of these identifiers and converts the information into speech, allowing the blind to obtain details about their surroundings and seek help.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional guiding techniques (cane and blind pathway) are used, then basic forward movement and obstacle detection are achieved, but comprehensive environmental information cannot be obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the guide cane with a camera module, processing module, and loudspeaker to create an integrated information gathering and output system. The camera captures images of the environment, the processing module analyzes them to extract information about buildings, roads, and other features, and the loudspeaker converts this information into speech for the blind user, thereby reducing information loss without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the purely mechanical tactile sensing system (cane touching the ground) with an optical system (camera capturing images). This substitution enables the system to gather comprehensive environmental information including building types, road conditions, and surrounding features that cannot be detected by tactile means alone
2Loss of information
If digital object identifiers are embedded in the pathway, then comprehensive environmental information can be provided, but the pathway manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses digital object identifiers (such as two-dimensional codes) embedded in the pathway as visual copies or representations of environmental information. These identifiers contain encoded data about surrounding buildings, roads, and other features, allowing the camera module to capture and decode them. This approach provides comprehensive information while maintaining relatively simple pathway manufacturing compared to more complex embedded sensor systems
3Ease of operation
If the guide cane includes camera and processing modules, then environmental information can be captured and converted to speech, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the guide cane with multi-functional capabilities: the camera module captures images, the processing module analyzes them to extract multiple types of information (building types, road conditions, surrounding features), and the loudspeaker converts this information into speech. This universal system handles various navigation needs with a single integrated device, improving ease of operation despite the increased device complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates more convenient outdoor navigation by providing the blind with information about their environment and assistance options, enhancing safety and independence, and ensuring effective communication of pathway conditions through speech output.
Implementation Method 1
a guide cane equipped with a camera module, processing module, and loudspeaker, which captures images of these identifiers
Implementation Method 2
converts the information into speech, allowing the blind to obtain details about their surroundings
Data Source
AI summary
Guiding the blind includes receiving, via a camera module, a signal sent from a processing module to instruct the camera module to take an image of an informational blind pathway including a digital object identifier, capturing, via the camera module, the image of the informational blind pathway, sending, via the camera module, the image to the processing module, receiving and analyzing, via the processing module, the image sent by the camera module, acquiring, via the processing module, information included in the digital object identifier in the image of the informational blind pathway, converting, via the processing module, the information included in the digital object identifier into speech information, and outputting the speech information to be played on an audio device.