White Cane Camera Guidance for Pedestrian Crossings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing information processing devices for visually impaired individuals require pre-capture and registration of images at pedestrian crossings, which is burdensome and inefficient, especially when tactile pavings or acoustic signals are absent.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device that calculates the occupancy rate of a pedestrian crossing in a real-time image captured by a camera mounted on a white cane, determines the crossing status based on this rate, and generates support information to guide the user safely across the crossing without prior image registration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pre-capture and registration of images at pedestrian crossings is performed, then guidance accuracy is improved, but user burden and operation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-capturing images of pedestrian crossings and storing them in a database before the user needs guidance. This allows the guidance function to work accurately without requiring the user to perform any registration actions during actual use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of pedestrian crossing images captured by the camera and stores them in a database. These image copies are then used for comparison and guidance, eliminating the need for users to manually register crossings while maintaining accurate recognition.
2Reliability
If multiple images are registered in advance according to travel route, then crossing guidance reliability is improved, but device complexity and operation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically capturing images of pedestrian crossings during normal device usage and storing them in the database without requiring user intervention. The device serves itself by building its own guidance database through routine operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and image processing functions serve multiple purposes: they capture images for both real-time obstacle detection and for building the pedestrian crossing database. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate registration operations while maintaining reliable guidance.
3Ease of operation
If real-time image processing is performed without pre-registration, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision of crossing detection may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback by comparing real-time captured images against the pre-stored database of pedestrian crossing images. This comparison provides feedback that enables accurate detection and guidance without requiring manual registration during actual use, maintaining both precision and ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing device calculates an occupancy rate of a pedestrian crossing in an image obtained by capturing an image of a traveling direction of a target person, determines a crossing status of the target person for the pedestrian crossing based on the calculated occupancy rate, and generates support information for supporting the target person crossing the pedestrian crossing based on the crossing status.