ROUTE GUIDANCE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED USING VISIBLE LIGHT COMMUNICATION INSIDE SUBWAY STATION

• US 20170258666A1
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyang Dnu Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Yuyang Dnu Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Sangok, KIM, Byungoh, KIM, Dongsik
• Granted Patent: US 10,441,494 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2003/063 with tactile perception
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1604 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/165 Wearable interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5092 Optical sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5097 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/061 with electronic detecting or guiding means
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3484 Personalized, e.g. from learned user behaviour or user-defined profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3617 using user history, behaviour, conditions or preferences, e.g. predicted or inferred from previous use or current movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3629 Guidance using speech or audio output, e.g. text-to-speech text to speech systems per se G10L13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3641 Personalized guidance, e.g. limited guidance on previously travelled routes
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3652 Guidance using non-audiovisual output, e.g. tactile, haptic or electric stimuli
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3661 Guidance output on an external device, e.g. car radio
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/066 guiding along a path, e.g. evacuation path lighting strip

Abstract

Some embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and an apparatus for providing a visually impaired a route guidance in a subway station by selectively providing the visually impaired at least one of guidance information received from a visible light illumination device installed in the subway station or information on a recommended route from the subway station to a destination and pre-stored route history information, thus informing the visually impaired as needed in a more efficient manner and enabling the visually impaired to arrive at the destination with safety.

Claims

1. An apparatus for guiding a visually impaired in a subway station by using a visible light communication, the apparatus comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive an optical signal from a visible light illumination device installed in the subway station and to extract a guidance information included in the optical signal;

a storage unit configured to store a route history information; and

an analysis unit configured to provide at least one of the guidance information or a recommended route from the subway station to a destination based on the guidance information and the route history information.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guidance information contains at least one of a current position information, an internal information of the subway station, or a traffic information for the subway station.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the route history information contains informations previously generated based on a previous travel route of the visually impaired, including an information on subway stops between a departure point and a destination, a travel information in the subway stops, a boarding information in the subway stops, and a transfer information in the subway stops.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis unit is configured to confirm an information on visits of the visually impaired to the subway station based on the guidance information and the route history information, and to accordingly provide the visually impaired with at least one of the recommended route or the guidance information.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the analysis unit is configured, when the number of the visits of the visually impaired to the subway station is confirmed to be equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times based on the information on the visits of the visually impaired to the subway station, to analogize a final destination of the visually impaired based on the route history information, to generate the recommended route starting from a current location of the visually impaired and ending at the final destination, and to provide the visually impaired with a generated recommended route.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the analysis unit is configured, when there is a plurality of destinations analogized based on the route history information, to determine a destination from among the plurality of destinations as the final destination based on at least one of the number of visits to each of the plurality of destinations or a user-selected information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the analysis unit is configured, when it is confirmed that the number of the visits of the visually impaired to the subway station is confirmed to be less than a predetermined number of times based on information on visit of the visually impaired to the subway station, to provide the visually impaired with the guidance information.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analysis unit is configured to analogize a purpose of visit of the visually impaired to the subway station based on a current position information included in the guidance information, extracts an information contained in the guidance information and corresponding to an analogy result, and to provide the visually impaired with an extracted information.

9. An apparatus for generating a route history information for guiding a route to a visually impaired in a subway station, the apparatus comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive an optical signal including a guidance information from a plurality of visible light illumination devices installed in the subway station; and

a computing unit configured to generate a travel route for each of subway stations based on the guidance information and an interval between communications with the plurality of visible light illumination devices and to generate the route history information by summing respective travel routes for the subway stations.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the computing unit is configured to generate an information on a departure point for each subway station, a destination information, and a travel route from the departure point to the destination based on the guidance information and the interval between the communications and to generate the information on the departure point, the destination information, and the travel route from the departure point to the destination having been generated as the travel route for each subway station.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the computing unit is configured, when the visually impaired is determined to have stopped by a predetermined route-exempt area based on the guidance information, to exclude a path corresponding to the predetermined route-exempt area from the travel route from the departure point to the destination.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the computing unit is configured, when an interval between a communication event with a preceding visible light illumination device and a resumed communication event with a subsequent visible light illumination device is determined to exceed a predetermined threshold based on the interval between the communications, to generate a point of the preceding visible light illumination device as the destination information based on the guidance information received from the preceding guidance information.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the computing unit is configured to determine whether or not the information on the departure point and the destination information included in the travel route for each subway station correspond with a station-boarding point and to generate, based on a result of determination, the route history information comprising a departure point and a destination not corresponding with the station-boarding point as an initial departure point and a final destination, respectively.

14. A method of guiding a visually impaired in a subway station by an apparatus for guiding the visually impaired by using a visible light communication, the method comprising:

receiving an optical signal from a visible light illumination device installed in the subway station and extracting a guidance information from the optical signal; and

providing at least one of the guidance information or a recommended route from the subway station to a destination based on the guidance information and a pre-stored route history information.

15. A method of generating, performed by an apparatus for generating a route history information, the route history information for providing a visually impaired a route guidance in a subway station, the method comprising:

receiving an optical signal including a guidance information from a plurality of visible light illumination devices installed in the subway station; and

generating a travel route for each of subway stations based on the guidance information and an interval between communications with the plurality of visible light illumination devices and generating the route history information by summing respective travel routes for the subway stations.