Thermal navigation for blind people

• Autorzy: Marzec Paweł , Kos Andrzej

Identyfikatory

DOI

10.24425/bpasts.2021.136038

• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

This article presents a system of precise navigation for a visually impaired person which uses GPS navigation and an infrared sensor in the form of an infrared matrix. The presented system allows determining the orientation and distance of a blind person relative to a selected object, e.g. a wall or road edge. The application of the above solution facilitates a significant increase in the accuracy of determining the position of a blind person compared to the accuracy offered by commonly used ground satellite devices. The system uses thermal energy accumulated in the environment without the need to generate additional signals. The main parts of the system are a simple infrared matrix, data processing system and vibrating wristband. Messages and navigation warnings are sent to a blind person in the form of a vibration code. The article describes the method of determining the path of a specified width and distance from the wall of a building, curb, etc., along which a blind person should move. The article additionally describes the method of determining the orientation of a blind person depending on the selected object. Such a method facilitates verifying whether the visually impaired person is moving according to the indicated direction. The method can also be used to navigate mobile robots. Due to the use of natural energy for data registration and processing, the mobile navigation system can be operated for a long time without the need to recharge the battery.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

blind/visually impaired person; GPS; infrared matrix; infrared sensors; low-energy measurement systems; mobile robots; satellite navigation; thermal navigation

PL

osoba niewidoma; osoba niedowidząca; GPS; matryca podczerwieni; czujniki podczerwieni; systemy pomiarowe niskoenergetyczne; roboty mobilne; nawigacja satelitarna; nawigacja termiczna

• Wydawca: Polska Akademia Nauk, Wydział IV Nauk Technicznych
• Czasopismo: Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Technical Sciences
• Rocznik: 2021
• Tom: Vol. 69, nr 1
• Strony: art. no. e136038
• Opis fizyczny: Bibliogr. 16 poz., rys., tab.

Twórcy

autor

Marzec Paweł

• AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

autor

Kos Andrzej

• AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Computer Science, Electronics and Telecommunications, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Bibliografia

• [1] R.R.A. Bourne et al., “Vision Loss Expert Group (2017). Magnitude, temporal trends, and projections of the global prevalence of blindness and distance and near vision impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis”, Lancet Glob. Health 5(9), e888-e897 (2017), doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30293-0.
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• [4] R. Sammouda and A. Alrjoub, “Mobile blind navigation system using RFID”, in 2015 Global Summit on Computer & Information Technology (GSCIT), Sousse, 2015, pp. 1‒4, doi: 10.1109/ GSCIT.2015.7353325.
• [5] J. Villanueva and R. Farcy, “Optical Device Indicating a Safe Free Path to Blind People”, IEEE Trans. Instrum. Meas. 61(1), 170‒177 (2012), doi: 10.1109/TIM.2011.2160910.
• [6] A. Sen, K. Sen, and J. Das, “Ultrasonic Blind Stick for Completely Blind People to Avoid Any Kind of Obstacles”, 2018 IEEE SENSORS, New Delhi, India, 2018, pp. 1‒4, doi: 10.1109/ICSENS.2018.8589680.
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• [8] P. Barański, M. Polańczyk, and P. Strumiłło, “A remote guidance system for the blind”, in Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on e-Health Networking, Application & Services (Healthcom2010), Lyon, France, 2010, pp. 386–390.
• [9] W. Gelmuda and A. Kos, “Multichannel ultrasonic range finder for blind people navigation”, Bull. Pol. Ac.: Tech. 61(3), 633‒637 (2013).
• [10] P. Marzec and A. Kos, “Low energy precise navigation system for the blind with infrared sensors”, in 2019 MIXDES – 26th International Conference “Mixed Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems”, Rzeszów, 2019.
• [11] Kiruthika and Sheela, “Developing mobile application to navigate blind people using sensors”, 2016 International Conference on Computation of Power, Energy Information and Commuincation (ICCPEIC), Chennai, 2016, pp. 080‒084, doi: 10.1109/ICCPEIC.2016.7557228.
• [12] “The ultimate infrared handbook for R&D professionals”, FLIR AB. [Online]. https://www.flirmedia.com/MMC/THG/Brochures/ T559243/T559243_EN.pdf
• [13] S. Sichelschmidt, A. Haselhoff, A. Kummert, M. Roehder, B. Elias, and K. Berns, “Pedestrian crossing detecting as a part of an urban pedestrian safety system”, 2010 IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, San Diego, CA, 2010, pp. 840‒844, doi: 10.1109/ IVS.2010.5548032.
• [14] A. Kos, K. Boroń, and I. Brzozowski, “Thermal tablet for the blind”, Microelectron. Int. 33(1), 1‒8 (2016), doi: 10.1108/MI02-2015-0016.
• [15] R. Sarkar, S. Das, and D. Rudrapal, “A low cost microelectromechanical Braille for blind people to communicate with blind or deaf blind people through SMS subsystem”, 2013 3rd IEEE International Advance Computing Conference (IACC), Ghaziabad, 2013, pp. 1529‒1532, doi: 10.1109/IadCC.2013.6514454.
• [16] R. Uzun, G.K. Yaman, A. Tekkanat, and Y. İşler, “Wristband design to support blind people”, 2017 Medical Technologies National Congress (TIPTEKNO), Trabzon, 2017, pp. 1‒4, doi: 10.1109/ TIPTEKNO.2017.8238038.

Uwagi

Opracowanie rekordu ze środków MNiSW, umowa Nr 461252 w ramach programu "Społeczna odpowiedzialność nauki" - moduł: Popularyzacja nauki i promocja sportu (2021).