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US-12616629-B2 - Line tracking cane for the vision impaired

US12616629B2US 12616629 B2US12616629 B2US 12616629B2US-12616629-B2

Abstract

Improvements in a line tracking cane for the vision impaired. The cane detects a line and notifies the user with a sound or vibration to indicate that is user is aligned with the line as the user passes the cane back-and-forth over the line. The detector can detect a direction of movement over the line to determine if the tip of the cane has completely passed over the line or has just moved half-way over the line. The cane is rechargeable and has a handle that orients the sensor on the tip of the cane to forward. The handle has an on-off or momentary power button. The cane can be collapsible as a folding cane or a telescoping cane. It is also contemplated that the tracking device can be an adapter for an existing cane to upgrade the functions of pre-existing cane.

Inventors

  • Alan Paine

Assignees

  • Alan Paine

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20230712

Claims (19)

  1. 1 . A line tracking cane for the vision impaired comprising: a cane having an optical sensor at a first end of said cane; said cane further having a power switch that is configured to power said optical sensor to detect a reflective surface; a vibration device connected between said optical sensor and said power whereby when said optical sensor detects said reflective surface, said vibration device is activated to produce a vibration to said cane and, a detection head that is wired to a separate control housing wherein said detection head is configured to be retained on a fixed portion of a rotatable tip.
  2. 2 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said cane has a grip or handle at a second end of said cane that creates an orientation of said optical sensor.
  3. 3 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , further includes an audible output device connected to said optical sensor.
  4. 4 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said reflective surface is a line on a ground.
  5. 5 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said optical sensor is connected to a micro-controller.
  6. 6 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 5 , wherein said optical sensor is connected to said micro-controller with an analog to digital sensor.
  7. 7 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 6 , wherein said analog to digital sensor provides different reflection levels received by said optical sensor.
  8. 8 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 7 , wherein said micro-controller has an accumulator that generates a rolling average for said different reflection levels.
  9. 9 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 8 , wherein said rolling average accumulates reading faster when said reflective surface reading is low.
  10. 10 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 5 , wherein said optical sensor has an emitter.
  11. 11 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 10 , wherein said emitter is configured to be intermittently turned on and off.
  12. 12 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 11 , wherein said emitter is turned off to determine if said optical sensor is receiving excessive ambient light.
  13. 13 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said separate control housing includes at least a power on switch, a battery, a vibration motor and a charging port.
  14. 14 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 13 , wherein said vibration motor is configured to provide intermittent vibration based upon the charge level of said battery.
  15. 15 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said detection head further includes an illumination function that illuminates at least a portion of said detection head.
  16. 16 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said optical sensor includes an emitter and a detector.
  17. 17 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , wherein said emitter is configured to be intermittently turned off to determine if said reflection is from said emitter or from ambient light.
  18. 18 . The line tracking cane for the vision impaired according to claim 1 , includes at least two detectors wherein an edge of said reflective surface is separately detected by each of said at least two detectors.
  19. 19 . A line tracking cane for the vision impaired comprising: a cane having an optical sensor at a first end of said cane; said cane further having a power switch that is configured to power said optical sensor to detect a reflective surface; a vibration device connected between said optical sensor and said power whereby when said optical sensor detects said reflective surface, said vibration device is activated to produce a vibration to said cane and, a detection head that is wired to a separate control housing wherein said detection head further includes an illumination function that illuminates at least a portion of said detection head.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Utility application Ser. No. 18/213,867 filed on Jun. 25, 2023 that claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/355,585 filed Jun. 25, 2023 the entire contents of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. PRIOR ART U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,856 issued on Mar. 24, 1992 to Hsieh Chi-Sheng and is titled Electronic Talking Stick for the Blind. This patent discloses an electronic talking stick for the blind and more particularly to a stick which talks to instruct a blind man to walk and go upstairs and downstairs, and to warn a blind man of dangerous depression in road, and which calls for help when a blind man who uses the stick falls. It is generally comprised of a supporting rod, a control box, a handle, a free steering caster, and a horizontal scanning device, in which the free steering caster helps the whole assembly to slide; two detectors in the control box and a range finder and moving object detector in the handle are arranged for trouble detection to let detected signals be converted into voice, by means of the processing through a control circuit, to instruct the user through an earphone connected to the handle. This patent only detects objects or obstacles and does not track a line. U.S. Pat. No. 5,487,669 issued on Jan. 30, 1996 to George F. Kelk and is titled Mobility Aid for Blind Persons. This patent discloses a mobility aid, for example a mobility aid handled in the manner of a flashlight, which allows a totally blind person to hand-scan, such as back and forth or up and down, the surrounding scene in order to hear the unbroken tonal phrases of varying frequencies which continuously indicate to the user the distance to, and, from the position of the hand, the position of objects and surfaces which make up the user's surroundings. While this patent discloses a cane for blind people it uses a laser sensor to detect objects as opposed to tracking a line on the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,468 issued on Feb. 26, 1991 to Bruce F. Field et al. and is titled Automated Guided Vehicle. This patent discloses an unmanned, self-propelled vehicle in the nature of a mobile robot has an on-board computer that stores path and machine function instructions and activates the drive and steering systems so as to cause the machine to follow a desired path. A plurality of retroreflective targets is mounted along the desired path. An improved guidance system for keeping the vehicle on the prescribed path includes a laterally scanning laser transmitter-receiver mounted on the vehicle. An electromechanical tracking device controls the angle of elevation of the laser beam so as to keep it aimed at each target successively as the vehicle moves. While this patent discloses tracking a line, it is a self-propelled vehicle and is not a cane that passes back and forth over the line. What is needed is a cane that can be used by a vision impaired person. The proposed line tracking cane for the vision impaired to allow the person to pass the tip of the cane back and forth over the line to track the line and detect changes in the ground. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For a person that is visually impaired the most common tool is a cane that is moved back-and-forth over the ground to detect a change to the ground surface that may indicate a step, curb, or a drop-off. Some patents have added a radar system to the cane to detect overhead objects or walls. Still others have added some audible features to the cane to verbally instruct the person of objects in-front of the user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the line tracking cane for the vision impaired to track a line on the ground. The line can be applied to a street or a sidewalk so the user can determine if they a centered on the line as the user passes the cane back-and-forth over the line. The line can be a simple white or reflective line. It is also possible for the line to be painted and followed on a soft surface such as grass. The cane can vibrate or give an audible signal as the cane detects the tip of the cane moving over a line. The detector can also detect a direction of movement over the line to determine if the tip of the cane has completely passed over the line or has just moved half-way over the line and back. The optical sensor can have a light or a supplemental light to allow the cane to operate in low light or to conserve battery power when natural light is sufficient to detect the presence of a line. It is an object of the line tracking cane for the vision impaired to use a photo sensor that can its own illumination source to detect the line in low light conditions. A single photo or laser sensor can be used, but multiple sensors can be used to detect a direction of movement over the line to determine if the cane is left or right of the line. The cane may also have a global positioning sensor (GPS) that tracks the location of the user and can provide au