Risk-Adaptive Movement Assistance Power Switching for Longer Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing movement assistance apparatuses for visually impaired individuals uniformly consume electric power to recognize the surrounding environment, leading to high power consumption and short battery life, making them impractical for continuous use.
Innovation Solution
A movement assistance apparatus with a mode switching control unit that adjusts the power mode based on the surrounding risk, switching to a power saving mode when the risk is low and to a normal mode when the risk is high, thereby optimizing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the battery size is increased to extend operation period, then the duration of action is improved, but the weight and size of the device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the power consumption state changeable based on surrounding risk. The control unit dynamically adjusts between normal operation mode (higher power consumption) and power saving mode (lower power consumption) according to the detected risk level, allowing the device to extend operation duration without increasing battery size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the power consumption parameter based on the surrounding risk condition. When risk is low, the system transitions to power saving mode with reduced power consumption; when risk is high, it switches to normal mode with higher power consumption. This parameter adjustment enables extended operation period with a compact battery.
2Loss of energy
If the power consumption is reduced uniformly, then the power saving is improved, but the reliability of movement assistance function deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making power consumption dependent on the local surrounding risk condition. Different power consumption levels are applied based on the specific situation: low power consumption when surrounding risk is low, and high power consumption when surrounding risk is high. This ensures reliability is maintained when needed while achieving power saving when safe.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts power consumption based on real-time surrounding risk assessment. The control unit switches between normal operation mode and power saving mode according to the risk level, ensuring that the movement assistance function remains reliable when risk is high while achieving power saving when risk is low.
3Loss of energy
If the user manually switches power ON/OFF to save power, then the power consumption is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically managing power consumption based on surrounding risk detection. The control unit autonomously switches between normal operation mode and power saving mode without requiring user intervention. The device monitors its own power status and surrounding conditions, making intelligent decisions about when to conserve power.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the surrounding risk detection to automatically adjust power consumption. The control unit receives feedback about the environment and the device's operational state, then automatically switches between power modes accordingly, eliminating the need for manual user operation while optimizing power usage.
Data Source
AI summary
A movement assistance apparatus to be provided in a movement assistance device and configured to execute a movement assistance operation for assisting movement of a user includes a mode switching control unit configured to switch, based on a magnitude of a surrounding risk on the movement of the user, a power mode between a normal mode in which the movement assistance operation is executable and a power saving mode in which a power consumption is smaller than a power consumption in the normal mode. A condition for setting the power mode to the power saving mode includes a condition that the surrounding risk satisfies a predetermined low-risk condition.