THE HELPING HAND - AN ESOTERIC COGNITION: A PROJECT REPORT

THE HELPING HAND – AN ESOTERIC COGNITION A PROJECT REPORT Submitted by

JAY VACHHARAJANI (110070109028) JIMIT SHAH (110070109030) BHUSHAN GARUDE (110070109065)

In fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING in Electrical Engineering

Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya Engineering College, Vallabh Vidyanagar

Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad December, 2014

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Any Person without practical knowledge is incomplete. He is just like a “Diamond without Polish”. To bring the spark beauty of the diamond it is necessary to polish properly. Likewise to make a person perfect technically, it becomes necessary to polish him.

First of all we would like to thank our UDP Guide Prof. Dharita Patel (Assistant Professor at Electrical Dept.) and Prof. B.R. Parekh (Head of The Department) who always motivated us to do something extra-ordinary. We are very grateful to our Electrical Department to provide us very friendly environment in the institute. Our guide’s time particularity and tactics of what to learn, how to step into professional world as well as to be a better person, was of immense help. We are also thankful for providing us opportunity to work on such a challenging and wonderful project and for giving their invaluable guidance throughout the project. A guidance of Dipen Parikh Sir and N.G. Mishra Sir also helped us a lot to make our project a milestone, we would like to thank them also.

We also take this opportunity to thank to our Institute Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidhyalaya at Vallabh vidhyanagar and other teachers for their support, their cooperation and friendly treatment given to us during our project.

Working on the project needs hard work & concentration. What makes it possible is the support we received from those around us. We thank everybody who has directly or indirectly helped us in this project to make it successful. We Would Like To Dedicate Our Whole Project To OUR PARENTS, FAMILY MEMBERS, DEAR FRIENDS and OUR WELLWISHERS. Thanking You….

Jimit Shah Bhushan Garude Jay Vachharajani

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ABSTRACT

“THOSE WHO HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED DARK CAN NEVER APPRECIATE LIGHT!”, but what about blinds?

Will their path always be dark?

NO! NO! NO! Not anymore. A ray of hope like a ray of light in a dark room is about to light up the lives of blind forever. Now they will get the actual thing the whole world craves for,

“ FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE! A ROAD LIKE ONE THROUGH A BRIGHTLY LIT BOULAVARD” All they need is, “THE HELPING HAND!!!!!!!!!!”

This “helping hand” is sure to provide “eye” & “sigh” (of relief), the eye for the blind & the sigh of relief for the close ones back home!!!

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Birla Vishvakarma Mahavidyalaya Electrical Engineering Department 2014-15

CERTIFICATE Date: 11/12/14 This is to certify that the dissertation entitled “ The Helping Hand – An

Esoteric Cognition” has been carried out by Bhushan Garude (110070109065),

Jimit Shah (110070109030),

Jay Vachharajani

(110070109028) under my guidance in fulfillment of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering (7th Semester) of Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad during the academic year 2014-15.

Guides: Faculty Mentor Prof. Dharita Patel Assi. Professor (Electrical Dept.)

BVM Engg. College

Faculty Mentor Prof. Dipan Parikh Assi. Professor (Electrical Dept.)

BVM Engg. College Head of the Department Prof. B.R. Parekh BVM Engg. College iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement

ii

Abstract

iii

Certificate

iv

Table of Contents

v

List of Figures

vii

List of Abbreviations

viii

Chapter-1: Introduction

1

1.1 Purpose

1

1.2 Scope

1

1.3 Functional Requirements

2

1.4 Technical Issues

2

1.5 Project Requirements

2

1.5.1

Hardware

2

1.5.2

Software

3

1.6 Non-functional Requirements

3

1.6.1

Security

3

1.6.2

Reliability

3

1.6.3

Sensitivity

4

1.6.4

Accuracy

4

1.6.5

Portability

4

1.6.6

Reusability

4

Chapter -2: Brief History Of The Work

5

Chapter-3: Literature Survey

6

3.1 Pre Project Survey

6

3.2 Paper Published Survey

6

3.3 Uniqueness

6

v

Chapter-4: Design of Project

7

4.1 Arduino

7 4.1.1 Important parts

8

4.2 Ultrasonic Sensor

11

4.3 Transistor

12

4.4 Vibrator Motor

12

4.5 SIM 900 (GSM/GPRS)

13

4.6 Fundamental Model

14

Chapter-5: Implementation of Project

15

5.1 Circuit diagram

15

5.2 Obstacle detection

16

5.3 Navigation

17

5.4 Coding

17 5.4.1 Ultrasonic module coding

17

5.4.2 SIM 900 module coding

19

Chapter-6: Result analysis

21

Chapter-7: What future holds

22

Chapter-8: Summary and Conclusion

25

List of References

26

vi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No

Figure Description

Page No

1

Arduino Board

07

2

Arduino SPI

08

3

ATMega 168 Pin Diagram

10

4

Ultrasonic Sensor

11

5

Transistor and Vibrator Motor

12

6

SIM 900 (GSM/GPRS)

13

7

Block Diagram

14

8

Circuit diagram

15

9

Ultrasonic sensor range

21

10

RF – Module I

22

11

RF – Module II

23

12

RF – Module III

24

vii

LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE

Symbols

Abbreviations

RF

Radio Frequency

GSM

Global System for Mobile

GPRS

Global Positioning and Resource System

SIM

Graphical User Interface

PWM

Pulse Width Modulation

SPI

Serial Peripheral Interface

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ix

INTRODUCTION

Chapter -1

“The Helping Hand” is a techno-social application, which considers the difficulties the blinds face while travelling alone, also the immense tension & worry that their relatives have when their beloveds (though blind) travel alone.

1.1 PURPOSE 1. The purpose of this project is to enable blind people to navigate safely and independently.

2. The project helps in successful detection of any obstacles coming in the way of blind people 3. The project will be able to determine the approximate distance of the obstacles from the blind which will help him take preventive measures.

4. It will also help the blind to navigate safely to his desired destination without any external help and taking unwanted obligation of others around.

5. The project will help in keeping the relatives or the close ones of the blind informed of his position by sending his location through an SMS. .

1.2 SCOPE The Scope of our project includes the following key points: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

It should detect obstacles successfully.

It should give idea of approximate distance of the obstacles.

It should give direction to the blind to reach its destination.

It should keep the relatives informed by successfully sending them a message.

It should inform the relatives when the blind reaches his destination.

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1.3 FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS The device is in form of a glove or any accessory which the blind needs to put on. The device helps in guiding the blind along with keeping their relatives informed of his position.

1. Blind person  Obstacle detection  Approximate distance of obstacles  Hassle free movement  Navigation guidance  Relatives informed 2. Relatives  Current postion of blind  Assurance of blind reaching his distance  Location messages  Navigation of blind.

1.4 TECHNICAL ISSUES This product will require regular check a battery because it will fail completely if the battery discharges. As it uses a microcontroller unwanted resets can be caused if reset button is pressed by mistake or mischief.

1.5 PROJECT REQUIREMENTS 1.5.1 HARDWARE  Arduino The microcontroller controls the speed of motor along with controlling the gsm/gprs modules.  GSM/GPRS module (Sim900 quad band) It performs the function of providing location and sending SMS regarding the same to the number saved of the blind’s relative.

•

Ultrasonic Sensors 2

The sensors will be used to detect the obstacles or the walls ahead & also changes in elevation of ground.  Amplifiers Amplifier will be used to amplify the signal coming from the ultrasonic sensor, which has to be processed using the brain of the system.  Vibrator Motors Motor will be used to vary the vibration according to distance sensed by the ultrasonic sensors.  Microphone Microphone will be used to take the voice input of the user, which will be processed according to that.  Speaker A small speaker will be used to give the output of the system as a voice output, so that the user will be very comfortable to use the system and travel.  Battery It will be used to power the robot.  Piezo-electric Pressure Sensors Used as an Accidental Alarm & also as a back-up power source

1.5.2 SOFTWARE  Arduino IDE 

Vox Commando

1.6 NON-FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS 1.6.1 SECURITY  A robust construction to protect the fragile components.

1.6.2 RELIABILITY 1. The system should be highly reliable in detecting the obstacles in time and giving the approx. distance.

2. Accurate location via SMS.

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1.6.3 SENSITIVITY  The system should provide output in the form of vibrations even with small change is distance 1.6.4 ACCURACY 1. It should accurately interpret the diatance.

2. Accurate location to desired person.

1.6.5 PORTABILITY 1. This device should be portable on any hand size and should be light in weight.

1.6.6 REUSABILITY 1. This same device can be used for any other systems with little modifications.

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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WORK

Chapter -2

We are all familiar with what is the most extensively used prop used by the visually impaired that is a stick or a cane. Let us take a brief look about the history of the white cane The white cane is not just a tool that can be used to achieve independence; it is also a symbol of the blind citizens in our society. To honor the many achievements of blind and visually impaired Americans and to recognize the white cane's significance in advancing independence, we observe October 15th of each year as "White Cane Safety Day." Today, the white cane works both, as a tool for the blind as well as a symbol, but this has not always been the case.

Throughout history, the cane, staff, and stick have existed as traveling aids for the blind and visually impaired. Dating back to biblical times records show that a shepherd's staff was used as a tool for solitary travel. The blind used such tools to alert them to obstacles in their path. For centuries, the "cane" was used merely as a tool for travel and it was not until the twentieth century that the cane, as we know it today, was promoted for use by the blind as a symbol to alert others to the fact that an individual was blind.

This new role for the white cane had its origins in the decades between the two World Wars, beginning in Europe and then spreading to North America. James Biggs of Bristol claimed to have invented the white cane in 1921. After an accident claimed his sight, the artist had to readjust to his environment. Feeling threatened by increased motor vehicle traffic around his home, Biggs decided to paint his walking stick white to make himself more visible to motorists.

It was not until ten years later that the white cane established its presence in society. In February, 1931, Guilly d'Herbemont launched a scheme for a national white stick movement for blind people in France. The campaign was reported in British newspapers leading to a similar scheme being sponsored by rotary clubs throughout the United Kingdom. In May 1931 the BBC suggested in its radio broadcasts that blind individuals might be provided with a white stick, which would become universally recognized as a symbol indicating that somebody was blind or visually impaired.

During most years since 1964, the President has proclaimed October 15th as White Cane Safety Day. On October 15, 2000, President Bill Clinton again reminded us of the history of the white cane as a tool, and its purpose as a symbol of blindness: "With proper training, people using the white cane can enjoy greater mobility and safety by determining the location of curbs, steps, uneven pavement, and other physical obstacles in their path. The white cane has given them the freedom to travel independently to their schools and workplaces and to participate more fully in the life of their communities. It reminds us that the only barriers against people with disabilities are discriminatory attitudes and practices that our society has too often placed in their way. As we observe White Cane Safety Day, 2001, let us recall the history of the white cane, its emergence as a tool and a symbol through history; a staff of independence. Let us also recall the events that have permitted us to celebrate October 15th as White Cane Safety Day.

5

LITERATURE SURVEY

Chapter-3

3.1 PRE-PROJECT SURVEY (Our Inspiration) A visit to the ‘Andh-Jan Mandal’ at Ahmedabad was the driving force that directed us towards this project. Blind, of all ages from infants to adolescents to old, faced the same problem. Just with a stick in the hand as a support amidst the ever growing and menacing traffic of Ahmedabad was like a warrior given a hairpin to fight enemies fully equipped with sharp swords. Their difficulties became our motivation and led us to this concept.

3.2 PAPER PUBLISHED SURVEY We did a fair amount of surveys/analysis of various paper published regarding our topic and found one which we thought would be relevant to mention here. The name and the summary of the paper is provided as below 'SMART’ CANE FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED: TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS FOR DETECTING KNEE-ABOVE OBSTACLES AND ACCESSING PUBLIC BUSES

(IIT DELHI) Cane Mounted Knee-Above Obstacle Detection and Warning System A detachable unit comprising of an ultrasonic ranger, vibrator and a microcontroller was developed which offers an increased range of 3m and can detect obstacles above knee level.

Distance information is conveyed to the user though a vibrator. Vibration frequency increases as the obstacle comes closer. There are two modes of operation: (i) Less than 1m range: useful while navigating within a room; and (ii) Greater than 1m range: used while navigating outdoors.

In trials conducted at the National Association for the Blind, Delhi, users were able to detect obstacles like horizontal bars, open windows and platforms raised above the ground (tables, sides of trucks, etc.) which would remain undetected with the traditional cane. Thus, users become aware of obstacles much before detecting them by physical contact with the cane or body.

3.3 UNIQUENESS From this paper we can say that our project idea is somewhat same. But we have introduced some changes such as  

Our outcome will be in the form of a glove which would be more comfortable than a stick.

We have also tried to include a navigation feature which would be helpful not only to the blind but also to his/her relatives by knowing his location.

6

DESIGN OF PROJECT

Chapter-4

Our work is a result of the synergy between the following components namely 4.1 ARDUINO – the brain The Arduino Diecimila is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega168. It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header,a voltage regulator and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller. Simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

Figure 1 7

4.1.1 Important parts of Arduino:

ICSP Header: Used to connect external MCUs to the Arduino board.

Figure 2

8

With an SPI connection there is always one master device (usually a microcontroller) which controls the peripheral devices. Typically there are three lines common to all the devices:    

MISO (Master In Slave Out) - The Slave line for sending data to the master MOSI (Master Out Slave In) - The Master line for sending data to the peripherals SCK (Serial Clock) - The clock pulses which synchronize data transmission generated by the master and one line specific for every device SS (Slave Select) - the pin on each device that the master can use to enable and disable specific devices. When a device's Slave Select pin is low, it communicates with the master. When it's high, it ignores the master. This allows you to have multiple SPI devices sharing the same MISO, MOSI, and CLK lines.

UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/transmitter) Used for communication between the Arduino board and a computer or other devices. All Arduino boards have at least one serial port (also known as a UART or USART). It communicates on digital pins 0 (RX) and 1 (TX) as well as with the computer via USB. Thus, if using these functions, one cannot also use pins 0 and 1 for digital input or output.

Power Selection Jumper To select appropriate power supply amongst USB jack (5V) & Power jack (7-12 V).

Power Pins 



  

VIN: The input voltage to the Arduino board when it's using an external power source (as opposed to 5 volts from the USB connection or other regulated power source). You can supply voltage through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack, access it through this pin.

5V: This pin outputs a regulated 5V from the regulator on the board. The board can be supplied with power either from the DC power jack (7 - 12V), the USB connector (5V), or the VIN pin of the board (7-12V). Supplying voltage via the 5V or 3.3V pins bypasses the regulator, and can damage your board. We don't advise it.

3V3: A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA. GND: Ground pins.

IOREF: This pin on the Arduino board provides the voltage reference with which the microcontroller operates. A properly configured shield can read the IOREF pin voltage and select the appropriate power source or enable voltage translators on the outputs for working with the 5V or 3.3V.

9

Figure 3

10

4.2 ULTRASONIC SENSOR (SR-04) 

Ultrasonic sensors are proximity sensors that are able to measure distance of objects, within the specified range and without any physical contact.



Ultrasonic sensors work on a principle similar to sonar which evaluate attributes of a target by interpreting the echoes from sound waves respectively. Ultrasonic sensors generate high frequency sound waves and evaluate the echo which is received back by the sensor. The time interval between the sent signal and received signal is determined to measure the distance from an object.



Ultrasonic range measurement module has 4 pins i.e, VCC, GND,Trigger and Echo.



VCC and GND are connected to +5V & GND to power the module. Trigger & Echo pins work as an I/O pin to trigger the signal for transmitting the ultrasonic pulse and outputs the electric counter part of the received signal. An ultrasonic pulse is sent at time 0. The pulse is reflected by the object. The sensor receives the signal back, converts it into an electric signal and outputs to Echo pin. When the echoed signal is faded away, the next pulse can be sent again. The time period between the two pulses should be no less than 50ms.



The distance of the object is proportional to the echo pulse width and can be calculated as mentioned in the code. If no obstacle is detected, the output pin will give a 38ms high level signal.

Figure 4 11

4.3 TRANSISTOR 

PWM output from Arduino is used to drive vibration motors (in this case).



The Arduino is good at thinking but not for heavy lifting. So a NPN Transistor is used with an Arduino to drive motors, turn lights on, and drive other high power gadgets.



The Transistor has three pins. One is called Base, which we will connect to any of the Arduino PWM pins. Through the Base pin, the Arduino can tell the Transistor how much power to supply to the motor from the external battery pack. That's it. The Transistor does the heavy lifting while Arduino sits back and gives orders through one of its PWM pins to the Transistor Base pin telling it how much power to pass to the motor. The poor Transistor has to then pass the requested power from the external power to the motor based on Arduino's request.

4.4 VIBRATOR MOTOR  These are driven by PWM outputs of the microcontroller via NPN transistors to meet the high power requirements.

Figure 5

12

4.5 GSM/GPRS SIM900 QUAD BAND MODULE SIM900 delivers GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900MHz performance for voice, SMS, Data, and Fax in a small form factor and with low power consumption. With a tiny configuration of 24mm x 24mm x3 mm, SIM900 can fit almost all the space requirements in your M2M applications, especially for slim and compact demands of design.

General features:•Quad-Band 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900 MHz •GPRS multi-slot class 10/8 •GPRS mobile station class B •Compliant to GSM phase 2/2+ – Class 4 (2 W @850/ 900 MHz) – Class 1 (1 W @ 1800/1900MHz) •SAIC (Single Antenna Interference Cancellation) support

Figure 6 13

4.6 FUNDAMENTAL MODEL

Figure 7

14

IMPLEMENTATION OF PROJECT

5.1 CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

Figure 8

15

Chapter-5

5.2 OBSTACLE DETECTION AND DISTANCE MEASURING  

     

The 16MHz crystal generates triggering pulses according to the clock period which are provided as input to the Transmitter Tx of Ultrasonic sensor (D11 PWM MOSI pin).

These pulses, transmitted through Tx, are reflected by an obstacle(if any) & are received by the Receiver Rx of the ultrasonic sensor & are converted into the electric signal which is obtained through the Echo pin & is an output to pin D10(SS).

Until no obstacle is detected, the output pin gives a 38ms high level signal, hence SS pin is high due to which the master is ignored.

Once the Obstacle is detected, SS pin goes low & communication with master occurs which yields a PWM output proportional to the distance of the obstacle from the sensor.

This output is used to drive vibration motors through a NPN transistor to meet the high power requirement of the motor.

The PWM output is provided to the base of the transistor & the sinking current at the collector, used to drive the motor, is amplified due to the beta gain of the transistor.

The sinking current & thereby the vibration of the motor is varied according to the duty cycle of the PWM signal which in turn depends upon the proximity of the obstacle.

The Duty Cycle of the PWM signal represents the length of the On pulse in one wave cycle, expressed as a percentage.This alteration of the width of pulse affects the average voltage.

When a PWM signal, which has a high frequency, is applied to a DC or vibration motor then it is the average voltage that drives the motor. This allows users to control the speed of the motor, or strength of vibration, by adjusting the Duty Cycle.Thus, Vmotor=Vpwm*(Duty cycle).

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5.3 NAVIGATION AND LOCATION INFORMATION 

A GSM+GPRS integrated system, which can be triggered manually(by button/ piezo electric pressure material) or automatically, is used to send the information regarding the position of the blind via a text or voice message to a previously saved number.

Navigation can be provided by audio input and audible output through headphones to the blind to reach destination from his start position.



In case of emergency or safety purposes, the relative can control the movement of the blind back home via the web browser or the Android App with the help of an Ethernet Module.



In case of accident of the blind, the relative can instantly know about the accident spot with a text message informing about the accident. This is possible with the help of Piezoelectric Pressure sensors.



The Rx pin is used to get the location from the GPS satellites. This is transmitted serially to buffer register of SIM 900.



The Tx pin gets the location in form of co-ordinates from the buffer register and sends to the mobile number stored using a SIM card which is fixed in SIM 900.



The message will be sent to the relative’s number which is mentioned in SIM 900 program.



The location sent will be of form N (0-180 degrees) – S (0-180 degrees)

5.4 CODING 5.4.1 ULTRASONIC MODULE CODING #include <NewPing.h> #define TRIGGER_PIN 8 #define ECHO_PIN

9

#define MAX_DISTANCE 100 NewPing sonar(TRIGGER_PIN, ECHO_PIN, MAX_DISTANCE);

void setup() 17

{ Serial.begin(9600); pinMode(5,OUTPUT); pinMode(7,INPUT); pinMode(6,OUTPUT); }

void loop() { delay(50); unsigned int uS = sonar.ping(); Serial.print("Ping: "); Serial.print(uS / US_ROUNDTRIP_CM); Serial.println("cm"); int a=uS / US_ROUNDTRIP_CM; int z=digitalRead(7); if(z==HIGH) { digitalWrite(6,HIGH); Serial.println("gfd"); } else { digitalWrite(6,LOW); } 18

if(a<=50 && a!=0) { int b=map(a,50,0,0,255); analogWrite(5,b); } else { analogWrite(5,0); }}

5.4.2 GSM/GPRS SIM900 MODULE CODING #include "SIM900.h" #include <SoftwareSerial.h> #include "sms.h" SMSGSM sms; int numdata; boolean started=false; char smsbuffer[160]; char n[20]; void setup() { //Serial connection.

Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println("GSM Shield testing."); //Start configuration of shield with baudrate.

19

//For http uses is reccomanded to use 4800 or slower. if (gsm.begin(9600)){ Serial.println("\nstatus=READY"); started=true; } else Serial.println("\nstatus=IDLE"); if(started){ //Enable this two lines if you want to send an SMS. int c = sms.SendSMS("+919703894422", "Arduino SMS"); Serial.println(c); } }; void loop() { };

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RESULT ANALYSIS

Chapter-6

The system has two modes of operation which are selectable through the mode select button on the device.

• Short Range Mode (< 1.00 m): Useful while navigating within a room • Long Range Mode (> 1.00 m): Used outdoors e.g. roads, parks etc.

The detection range is divided into four sub-ranges for the Long Range Mode and three for the Short Range Mode. Each sub-range is associated with a unique vibratory pattern. Thus by recognizing the vibratory pattern the user can infer the obstacle distance (see table1, figures 2 and 3). e.g., If the unit is vibrating in pattern 3 in the long range mode, the user can infer that the obstacle distance is 1-2 m.

Table : Division of Detection Range into sub-ranges and corresponding Vibratory Patterns Detection Vibratory Obstacle distance (cm) Zone Pattern Long Range Mode Short Range Mode I 1 3–50 3-30 II 2 50–100 30-60 III 3 100-200 60-100 IV 4 200-300 -

Figure 9 : Top view showing the horizontal and angular coverage of the detection zone (colored) for Long Range Mode (left) and Short Range Mode (right).

21

WHAT FUTURE HOLDS

Chapter-7

User-triggered bus identification and homing system The system consists of two modules: (i) User Module: A handheld device carried by the user and, (ii) Bus Module: A module placed at the entry of each bus (This module can be adapted for other modes of public transport). There are two stages of operation: (i) Query stage and (ii) Selection and Tracking stage.

2.1 Query Stage Once the user hears a bus approaching the bus stop, he presses the Query Button in the User Module. A query signal is transmitted to all buses in vicinity using a radio frequency (RF) transmitter which activates the Bus module placed in each bus. It responds by transmitting the 3digit route number which is stored in the module.

All the bus numbers received by the user module are spoken out to the user through a small speaker in the handheld unit (figure 10). As an example, assume that buses 501 and 620 are at a bus stop.

Figure 10 Selection and Tracking Stage If the user is interested in boarding the bus whose number is being read out, he presses the Select Button, in the interval after that number has been read out. e.g., If the user wants to board bus number 501, he presses the button after (| five | zero | one |) has been read out. Sample: | five | zero | one | (button pressed) | six | two | zero | (gap) The user module now transmits the selected number to all the buses. Each bus module compares the received number with the number stored in the module itself. If the number matches, i.e. the 22

user is interested in that particular bus, then there is a voice output of the number from the entry of the selected bus. This acts as an auditory cue, and assists the visually challenged person to move towards the entry of the bus. Other buses that haven’t been selected, do not respond (figure 5).

Once the user selects a particular bus, a small bulb would start flickering in the driver’s control panel (like a car indicator). This gives an indication to the driver that a person with special needs is interested in boarding the bus. Hence, the driver can wait for a slightly longer duration to allow the user to board the bus safely. The bulb stops flickering automatically after a fixed time period.

Figure 11: User selects the bus of interest to trigger an auditory cue from its entry

23

Generally, the arrival of a bus is followed by ‘chaotic’ movement of people towards the entry.

After moving a short distance, the user might require the cue again. In such a case, the user can press the selection button again to activate speaking of the route number from the bus.

Functional Description The system employs CC1010 RF-transceivers [CC1010, 2006] for wireless data transmission.

Non-directionality and a medium range of RF transmissions (40-50m) make it suitable for our application. While operating the device, the user does not have to worry, whether the bus is standing towards his left, right, back or in front. Both the user and the bus modules are fitted with an antenna for wireless communication, which can be folded when the device is not in use.

Figure 12: Top Level Block Diagram for User Module (left) and Bus Module (right)

Voice output is produced using stored speech samples, making the device language independent.

One can record in any language without a fundamental change in the design. The user might desire, that the numbers being read out should be inaudible to fellow travelers. For this purpose the unit is fitted with a headphone jack, where the user can insert a mono headphone to hear bus numbers. The user module runs on rechargeable Li-ion batteries (similar to the cane module in the previous system). The bus module derives power from the main engine battery (figure 6).

24

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Chapter-8

PROJECT OUTCOMES •

Easy and Independent navigation for blind.

•

Keep relatives informed about their beloved’s location.

•

Enables easy route mapping.

•

Helps avoid obstacles during the journey.

•

Can make public transport easier for blind.

•

Alternate energy source obtained simply by walking.

LIMITATIONS:

A little bit of practice & time required to properly learn all functions.



May become a bit uncomfortable.



Battery must be replaced after suitable interval. However, with the inclusion of the Piezo- electric sensors, this interval is extended.



Size of Glove may become a bit bulky.

CONCLUSION This “Helping Hand” is sure to provide an

“EYE”

&

“SIGH” (of relief),

the eye for the blind & the sigh of relief for the close ones back home!!!

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LIST OF REFERENCES 1. http://www.arduino.cc/ 2.http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Arduino#Arduino_code 3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKE8SHywZm 4.http://www.instructables.com/id/HandSight-A-Glove-for-the-Blind-to-Feel5.Atmel Corporation,2005, 8051 Architecture, [Internet] 6.Bay Advanced Technologies Website, 2006, The BAT K-Sonar, [Internet] Available from: www.batforblind.co.nz, June 2006 7.Devantech. 2003, SRF04 Ultrasonic Ranger, [Internet].

Available from: http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R93-SRF04.html 8.Elchinger Gilbert M., 1981, US Patent Number 4,280,204 Hoyle B, Withington D, Waters D. 2006, UltraCane, [Internet].

9.Available from: http://www.soundforesight.co.uk/index.html, June 2006 10.Texas Instruments Website, 2006, CC1010, [Internet]

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