Self-service crossing aid for pedestrians

• US 9,659,490 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Siao C. L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US14/575,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20160180703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• Field of Search: 340944, 340925
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A tool for a crossing aid on a mobile device. The tool determines, by a first computer processor, a unique ID associated with a crossing signal. The tool searches, by the first computer processor, for a wireless access point (WAP) having the unique ID. The tool determines, by the first computer processor, whether the WAP having the unique ID is found. Responsive to determining that the WAP having the unique ID is found, the tool determines, by the first computer processor, haptic feedback. The tool initiates, by the first computer processor, the haptic feedback on the mobile device to aid in crossing.

Claims

1. A computer program product for a crossing aid on a mobile device, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine, by a first computer processor, a unique ID associated with a crossing signal, wherein determining the unique ID associated with the crossing signal includes scanning a machine-readable tag of the crossing signal via near field communication;

program instructions to search, by the first computer processor, for a wireless access point (WAP) having the unique ID;

program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, whether the WAP having the unique ID is found, wherein determining whether the WAP having the unique ID is found includes determining a service set identifier (SSID) of the WAP includes the unique ID extracted from a machine-readable tag of the crossing signal;

responsive to determining that the WAP having the unique ID is found, program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, haptic feedback; and

program instructions to initiate, by the first computer processor, the haptic feedback on the mobile device to aid in crossing.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to determine a unique ID associated with the crossing signal, further comprises program instructions to extract, by the first computer processor, unique ID information embedded in the machine-readable tag of the crossing signal.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein program instructions to extract unique ID information embedded in a machine-readable tag, further comprises program instructions to scan, by the first computer processor, the machine-readable tag of a crossing signal.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:

program instructions to configure, by a second computer processor, the service set identifier (SSID) for the WAP with the unique ID of the crossing signal;

program instructions to update, by the second computer processor, the SSID for the WAP with a countdown value, the countdown value representing an amount of time remaining before a pedestrian right of way expires at the crossing signal; and

program instructions to broadcast, by the second computer processor, the WAP with the SSID, wherein the SSID includes both the unique ID for the crossing signal and the countdown value.

5. The computer program product of claim 1 further comprises:

program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, that a WAP matching the unique ID is not found when the SSID of the WAP does not include the unique ID of the crossing signal.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to determine haptic feedback, further comprises:

program instructions to utilize, by the first computer processor, a countdown value included in the SSID for the WAP to determine haptic feedback proportional to an amount of time remaining before a pedestrian right of way expires at the crossing signal.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein program instructions to initiate haptic feedback on the mobile device, further comprises:

program instructions to enable, by the first computer processor, an internal mechanism within the mobile device designed to produce tactile feedback; and

program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, whether a countdown value is “

0”

.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein program instructions to determine whether the countdown value is “

0”

, further comprises;

program instructions to extract, by the first computer processor, the countdown value from the SSID for the WAP of the crossing signal.

9. A computer system for a crossing aid on a mobile device, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to determine, by a first computer processor, a unique ID associated with a crossing signal, wherein determining the unique ID associated with the crossing signal includes scanning a machine-readable tag of the crossing signal via near field communication;

program instructions to search, by the first computer processor, for a wireless access point (WAP) having the unique ID;

program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, whether the WAP having the unique ID is found, wherein determining whether the WAP having the unique ID is found includes determining a service set identifier (SSID) of the WAP includes the unique ID extracted from a machine-readable tag of the crossing signal;

responsive to determining that the WAP having the unique ID is found, program instructions to determine, by the first computer processor, haptic feedback; and

program instructions to initiate, by the first computer processor, the haptic feedback on the mobile device to aid in crossing.

10. The computer system of claim 9, further comprising:

program instructions to configure, by a second computer processor, the service set identifier (SSID) for the WAP with the unique ID of the crossing signal;

program instructions to update, by the second computer processor, the SSID for the WAP with a countdown value, the countdown value representing an amount of time remaining before a pedestrian right of way expires at the crossing signal; and

program instructions to broadcast, by the second computer processor, the WAP with the SSID, wherein the SSID includes both the unique ID for the crossing signal and the countdown value.