Wheelchair Route Planning for Step-Aware Road Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wheelchairs face difficulties in traveling on uneven road surfaces due to steps and obstacles, which can make navigation challenging and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device determines a travel path for wheelchairs based on information about steps on the road surface and the wheelchair's wheel characteristics, using a control unit and terminal device to provide a safe and efficient route, avoiding difficult areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a wheelchair travels on a road surface with steps, then the wheelchair can access more areas, but the wheelchair becomes difficult to maneuver and may become immovable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of steps and obstacles on the road surface using sensors before the wheelchair encounters them. The control unit calculates appropriate travel paths in advance that avoid difficult areas, allowing the wheelchair to maintain good maneuverability while still accessing areas by planning routes around obstacles rather than directly confronting them.
2Ease of operation
If the wheelchair avoids steps and obstacles, then the ease of travel is improved, but the accessible area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit dynamically adjusts travel path parameters based on detected step heights and wheel characteristics. By calculating optimal paths that consider the wheelchair's ability to overcome specific step heights, the system enables the wheelchair to tackle certain obstacles while avoiding others, thereby expanding accessible areas while maintaining ease of travel within feasible limits.
3Device complexity
If the wheelchair uses a simple path determination method, then the device complexity is reduced, but the accuracy of path selection is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit acts as an intermediary that receives detection information from sensors about steps and obstacles, and translates this information into calculated travel paths. This intermediary processing layer enables accurate path selection by systematically analyzing obstacle data and wheelchair capabilities without requiring complex hardware modifications, thus improving path selection accuracy while keeping device complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing device includes a control unit that determines a travel path of a wheelchair. The control unit determines the travel path of the wheelchair based on information on a step existing on a road surface on which the wheelchair travels and information on a wheel of the wheelchair.