Development of Visual Substitute for Blind People

研究结果总结如下：(1)我们开发了三种紧凑型实时测距仪，可以作为自动行驶车辆和智能机器人的眼睛，也可以作为盲人的眼睛。这些取景器虽然由立体彩色CCD相机和简单的电子电路组成，但可以从景物图像中提取出多个彩色和明亮区域。因此，这一事实使得在物体表面连续识别三维信息成为可能。在测量中，(a)首先根据曲面颜色和亮度的差异将曲面分成小曲面，(b)测量每个曲面到左、右位置的距离。实验结果表明，所研制的装置适用于具有折线和角边的平面和圆柱体的表面测量。(2)我们开发了一种盲文显示器，其中安装了几块人造橡胶肌肉，并进行了将电流变液（ERF）注入肌肉以延长其伸长的试验测试。为了使这种进料速度更快，必须澄清射流在流场中的动态行为，并开发一些进料方法。在本研究中，我们利用电液类比分析了管道内的响应特性，并制作了一种泵供电激振，在实践中，我们利用这种驱动原理供电激振，并开发了由8 × 8触点组成的盲文显示器及其控制装置。(3)作为制造盲人引导机器人的初级阶段，我们开发了一种安装了测距仪的自动行走车辆。它配备了视觉装置，可以实时处理来自立体彩色摄像机的视频信号，并具有将眼睛固定在彩色地标上，识别标记的含义并按照颜色指定的路线运行的能力。该机器人的特点是通过安装控制计算机，具有识别自身三维位置和跟随主人的功能。该系统的另一个特点是即使卸载计算机也能实现实时性和系统经济性。少

The results obtained in this research are summarized as follows :(1)We have developed three types of compact real-time range finders which are available to act as the eyes of autonomous running vehicles and intelligent robots as well as blind people. These finders, although being constituted of stereo color CCD cameras and simple electronic circuits, can extract several color and bright regions from a scenery image. As a result, this fact made it possible to recognize successively 3-D information on the object surface. In the measurement, (a) a curved surface is firstly divided into small ones according to the difference in surface color and brightness and (b) the distances to the left- and right-hand-side positions of each surface are measured. It was confirmed that the developed devices are applicable to the surface measurements of planes with folded lines and corner edges and of a circular cylinder.(2)We have developed a Braille display, where several artificial rubber muscles are i … More nstalled and the trial tests have been made on feeding the electro-rheological fluid(ERF) into the muscle for its elongation. In order to make this feeding faster, the dynamic behavior of the ERF in the flow field should be clarified and some feeding method should be developed. In this research we have demonstrated that the response characteristics in the pipe are analyzed on the electric-fluid analogy and produced a pump for feeding the ERF In practice ERF was fed on this driving principle, and a Braille display composed of 8x8 touch points and its controlling device have been developed.(3)As a preliminary stage for manufacturing a guide robot for the blind, we have developed an autonomous running vehicle on which the range finder was mounted. This is equipped with the visual devices which proceed in real time the video signals from stereo color cameras and has the ability of fixing its eyes on color landmarks, recognizing the meanings of the marks and running on the route designated by the colors. The characteristics of this robot is that it has been provided with the functions of recognizing 3-D self positions and of following its master by being equipped with a controlling computer. The other characteristics of this system are that the real time characteristics and an economical system can be achieved even if the computer is uninstalled. Less