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DECLARATION OF THESIS / UNDERGRADUATE PROJECT PAPER

Author’s full name : ATIRAH BINTI ANUDDIN

Date of Birth : 4 th MAY 1992

Title : SMART WALKING STICK FOR THE BLIND

Academic Session : 2014/2015

I declare that this thesis is classified as:

CONFIDENTIAL (Containing confidential information under the Official

Secret Act 1972)*

RESTRICTED (Containing restricted information as specified by theorganization where research was done)*

OPEN ACCESS I agree that my thesis to be published and accessed

online (full text)

I acknowledged that Universiti Teknologi Malaysia reserves the right as follows:

1. The thesis is the property of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.2. The Library of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia has the right to make copies for

the purposes.

Certified by:

SIGNATURE SIGNATURE OF SUPERVISOR

920504-11-5592 ASSOC. PROF. ZAMANI MD ZAIN(NEW IC NO/PASSPORT) NAME OF SUPERVISOR

Date: 22 th JUNE 2015 Date: 22 th JUNE 2015

PSZ 19:16 Pind. 1/13

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

NOTES: * If the thesis is CONFIDENTAL or RESTRICTED, please attach with the letter fromthe organization concerned stating the reason/s and duration for theconfidentiality or restriction.

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“I declare that I have read this final year project report and in my opinion, this final

year project report is sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the purpose to be

awarded the Degree of Bachelor Engineering (Electrical-Instrumentation &

Control)” .

Signature : .................................................... Name : ASSOC. PROF. ZAMANI MD ZAIN

Date : 22 nd JUNE 2015

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SMART WALKING STICK FOR THE BLIND

ATIRAH BINTI ANUDDIN

A final year project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

award of the degree of Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical - Instrumentation and

Control)

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

JUNE 2015

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“I declare that this final year project report entitled “ Smart Wa lking Stick For The

Blind ” is the result of my own research except as cited in the references. The final

year project report has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently

submitted in candidature of any other degree ”.

Signature : .................................................... Name : ATIRAH BINTI ANUDDIN

Date : 22 nd JUNE 2015

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Specially dedicated to my beloved family and friends.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my

supervisor, Assoc. Prof. Zamani Md Zain, for his excellent guidance, suggestions

and enthusiasm given throughout the whole process of this project. He has also been

very helpful in the successful completion at the same. I thank him for his overall

support.

My appreciation also goes to my family members who have been supporting

me all these months in accomplishing my final year project. Thanks for their

encouragement, loves and support that they had given.

Last but not least, I would like to extend my appreciation to my SKEI

members and all my friends who have involved directly or indirectly in my project.

Overall, thanks a lot to all of you.

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ABSTRACT

Humans are blessed with perfect body creation. Despite that, some people are

not as fortunate, since they are limited by natural disabilities or disabilities caused by

accidents. Blindness is categorized as one of the common disabilities. Luckily, there

are numerous assistive technology that help in neutralizing the impairment. For

years, visionless persons choose to use the „white‟ cane as the mobility for aiding

their daily walking or life [6]. The cane has been very helpful for the blinds in

assisting their movements throughout their daily activities. Although the walking

stick is able to guide the blinds, there are still several weaknesses that can be

enhanced to make the design better. One of the weaknesses of the walking stick is

that, it is only designed to detect obstructions that are within the range of the stick

length, when being direct contact with the walking stick. The main purpose of this

project is to develop a smart walking stick for the visually impaired with below-knee

and above-knee obstacle detection. The below-knee obstacle detection feature is

essential in helping the blinds to detect staircases, street curves and steps. By using a

microcontroller, a specific output is programmed for specific range of distance

between the user and the obstacles. The walking stick will produce sound and vibrate

to warn the user when facing any obstacles.

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ABSTRAK

Ramai manusia yang dianugerahi dengan ciptaan tubuh badan yang

sempurna. Tetapi, masih juga terdapat insan yang mempunyai anggota yang kurang

sempurna, yang disebabkan oleh kecacatan semula jadi atau kecacatan yang

disebabkan oleh kemalangan. Buta dikategorikan sebagai salah satu kecacatan yang

biasa dialami. Terdapat pelbagai bantuan teknologi yang boleh membantu pesakit

dalam kehidupan harian. Selama ini, orang buta lebih memilih untuk menggunakan

tongkat „putih‟ sebagai alat bantuan dalam kehidupan seharian. Tongkat tersebut

sangat membantu pergerakan orang-orang buta dalam aktiviti seharian mereka.

Walaupun tongkat tersebut mampu memandu arah orang buta, masih terdapat

kelemahan yang boleh diperbaiki untuk menjadikan tongkat tersebut lebih baik.

Salah satu kelemahan tongkat tersebut ialah ia hanya mampu mengesan halangan

yang mempunyai jarak sama seperti panjang tongkat tersebut. Tujuan utama projek

ini adalah untuk membina sebatang tongkat yang boleh mengesan halangan dengan

mempunyai pengesanan halangan atas dan bawah lutut. Pengesan bawah lutut adalah

untuk mengesan tangga, bahu jalan dan anak tangga. Dengan menggunakan mikro

pengawal, keluaran yang spesifik diprogramkan berdasarkan julat jarak yang spesifik

antara pengguna dengan halangan. Tongkat tersebut akan menghasilkan bunyi dan

getaran untuk memberi amaran kepada pengguna sekiranya berhadapan dengan

halangan.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT vi

ABSTRACT vii

ABSTRAK viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ix

LIST OF TABLES xii

LIST OF FIGURES xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATION AND SYMBOLS xv

LIST OF APPENDICES xvi

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of Project 1

1.2 Problem Statement 2

1.3 Objectives 2

1.4 Scope 2

1.5 Thesis Outline 3

2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4

2.1 Application of Ultrasonic Sensor in

Arduino Mobility Cane4

2.1.1 Working Principle 4

2.1.2 Characteristic of Ultrasonic Sensor 5

2.1.3 Hardware Part 6

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2.2 Application of Infrared (IR) Sensor in

Electronic Guiding Stick6

2.2.1 Basic Concept 7


2.3 Application of Radio Frequency

Identification in Blind Navigation System8



2.3.3 Indicator 10

2.4 Microcontroller 10

2.4.1 Arduino Uno Microcontroller 10

2.5 An Ultrasonic Navigation System For Blind

People11



2.6 Electronic White Cane For Blind People Navigation Assistance

13



3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 15

3.1 General Construction 15

3.2 Project Overview 16

3.3 Electrical Design 16

3.3.1 Microcontroller Design 17

3.3.2 Ultrasonic Range Sensor 18

3.3.3 Indicator 19

3.3.4 Power Supply 20

3.3.5 Slide Switch 21

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3.4 Software Development 21

3.4.1 Programming of the Sensor and

Indicators21

3.4.2 Distance Calculation 22

3.4.3 Schematic Circuit 22

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 23

4.1 Response of Stick for Various Objects 23

4.2 Performance Analysis of Ultrasonic Sensor 24

4.3 Sensor Detection Analysis 25

4.3.1 Above and Below-Knee Position 25

4.4 Logic Algorithm 26

4.5 Walking Stick 27

5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 30

5.1 Conclusion 305.2 Recommendations 31

6 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 32

6.1 Planning 32

6.2 Cost Estimation 33

REFERENCES 35

Appendices A - F 36-47

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE NO TITLE PAGE

4.1 Detection Range for Various Object 23

4.2 Performance Analysis of Ultrasonic Sensor 24

4.3 Description of Sensor Detection 26

6.1 Gantt Chart for Semester One 32

6.2 Gantt Chart for Semester Two 33

6.3 Cost Estimation 33

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE NO TITLE PAGE

2.1 SRF-04 Sensor 5

2.2 Block Diagram of the Components 6

2.3 Block Diagram of the Components 7

2.4 Frame of Blind Navigation System 9

2.5 Block Diagram of the System 12

2.6 RFID Tags Position 14

3.1 Aluminum Walking Stick 15

3.2 Project Block Diagram 16

3.3 View of Main Circuit 17

3.4 Microcontroller Pin Diagram 17

3.5 Arduino Uno R3 18

3.6 HC-SR04 Sensor 18

3.7 Buzzer 19

3.8 Vibrator 20

3.9 Battery 20

3.10 Slide Switch 21

3.11 Coding for Sensor and Indicators 22

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3.12 Distance Formula 22

4.1 Graph Performance 25

4.2 Range Detection 25

4.3 Flowchart 27

4.4 Top View 27

4.5 Front View 28

4.6 Full Image View 29

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LIST OF ABBREVIATION AND SYMBOLS

PWM Pulse Wave Modulation

GPS Global Positioning System

GIS Geographic Information System

KHz Kilo Hertz

V Voltage

cm Centimeter

m Meter

µS Microsecond

µ/S Micropersecond

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LIST OF APPENDICES

APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

A.1 Microcontroller Schematic Diagram 36

A.2 Ultrasonic Sensor Schematic Diagram 37

A.3 Buzzer Interface Schematic Diagram 38

A.4 Vibrator Interface Schematic Diagram 39

A.5 Slide Switch Interface Schematic Diagram 40

B Features of Microcontroller 41

C Source Code 42

D Datasheet HC-SR04 45

E Datasheet Vibrator 46

F Datasheet Slide Switch 47

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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter describes the background of the project, the problem statement,

objectives of the project and scope which are linked to the development of an

automated walking stick for the blind.

1.1 Background of Project

Among numerous forms of disability, blindness is one of the most suffering

that can strike people of all ages and it affect s the victim‟s life. Nowadays, many

researchers have been conducted in designing and inventing tools that may protect

the blind from dangerous situation. Majority of the visually impaired people today

still use the „white cane‟ as the tool to assist their movement s especially when they

are moving around outdoor. Recent advancements in embedded systems can helps

the blind to move around more easily and comfortably.

There are many studies that relate to this innovation of walking stick which

use different design implementation such as infrared sensor, radio signal and

ultrasonic sensor detection for various applications.

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1.2 Problem Statement

There are many blind persons that use the white stick to help their daily

movement. The stick helps them to detect obstructions around them and to avoidthem from danger.

The function of the common walking stick usually used by the blind is

limited. So, there is need to develop a new walking stick that can detect any

obstacles before the user hit it with the end of the stick.

1.3 Objectives

The objective of this project is to develop a smart walking stick that can

sense obstacles around the visually impaired person. The walking stick will be able

to sense different distances between the user and the obstacles for up to 120 cm long.

In addition, the objective of this project is also to help the movement of blind person

in their daily activities. Nevertheless, this project also targets to develop a low cost,

sturdy and robust walking stick.

1.4 Scope

There are 2 parts involved in this project, namely hardware and software. The

hardware part involved the construction of the walking stick, a microcontroller, two

ultrasonic sensors, a buzzer and a vibrator.

The software used to program the microcontroller is Arduino 1.0.6. The

software part includes the programming of the sensors. Besides, Solidworks 2014

software also has been used to design the housing for the ultrasonic sensors.

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1.5 Thesis Outline

The first chapter starts with brief introduction of the project. This chapter

describes the background of the project, the problem statement, objectives and thescope of the project. The second chapter is about the researches related to fields of

the project which are mainly about the different in designs and implementations of

walking stick for the blind, as well as alternative microncontrollers and sensors used

in the projects.

Chapter 3 discusses the methodology of the project which includes

programming of Arduino Uno using Arduino software, the characteristics of theultrasonic ranging sensor and the overall construction of the walking stick. Chapter 4

presents the results obtained and some discussions of the results. Lastly, Chapter 5

wraps up all of the findings and emphasizes some recommendations for future

advancements.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter describes the past and current researches that have been carried

out which are related to the project. This review investigates from numerous aspects

of sensors, indicators and the overall working system of the related projects.

2.1 Application of Ultrasonic Sensor in Arduino Mobility Cane

Jayant, Pratik and Mita [1] have proposed the application of ultrasonic sensor

in the walking stick to detect the obstacles. The overall project is discussed as below.

2.1.1 Working Principle

The basic concept of ultrasonic sensor is to determine distance of an object.

In this project, an ultrasonic sensor is used to measure the distance between the

obstacles and the blind. The sensor enables to warn the blind when facing any

dangerous circumstances.

The ultrasonic sensor works by generating high frequency sound waves and

evaluates the echo which is received back by the sensor. The sensor calculates the

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time interval between sending the signal and receiving the echo to determine the

distance of the obstacle. That signal is sent to the microcontroller and it decide which

output must be triggered.

2.1.2 Characteristic of Ultrasonic Sensor

The ultrasonic model used in this project is SRF-04. It was designed to be

just as easy to use as the Polaroid sonar. The sensor is able to compute the distance

of obstacles in maximum range of 10.7 m .

It consists of 5 terminals, namely the power terminal, the ground terminal,

trigger pulse terminal, echo pulse terminal and do not connect terminal. An analog

voltage signal is produced as output which is proportional to the distance. The

current consumption for the sensor is about 2.5A during the sonic burst and the

power desired to turn it on is 5 V .

The sensor needs to supply a short 10µS pulse to the trigger input to start the

ranging. Then the module will send out an 8 cycle burst of ultrasound at 40kHz and

raises its echo line high. The module is quite large to fit into small systems. Figure

2.1 shows the SRF-04 ultrasonic sensor.

Figure 2.1 SRF-04 Sensor

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2.1.3 Hardware Part

There are five main components in the system which are a charging circuit, a

battery, a vibrator, an ultrasonic sensor and a control unit.

Figure 2.2 Block Diagram of the Components

Referring to Figure 2.2, ultrasonic module will emit ultrasonic waves which bounce

back when hit an object or an obstruction in the path of the user. The received signal

will be sent to the control unit which consists of an Arduino Board. Arduino will do

the calculation and then it triggers the vibrator as the indicator to warn the user of the

obstacles.

2.2 Application of Infrared (IR) Sensor in Electronic Guiding Stick

K. Divya, P. Dhivya, R. Gayathri and P. Govindaraj [2] have proposed the

application of infrared (IR) sensor in developing an Electronic Guiding Stick for the

blind. The stick is used as a tool for guiding them to walk or move away from their

places. Based on this project, the sensors are able to detect the presence of obstacles

that present along the pathway of the blind people.

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2.2.1 Basic Concept

The basic concept of the IR sensor is used to detect obstruction in front of the

blind. The sensor is also able to differentiate colors depending on configuration ofthe sensor.

One disadvantage of the project is that it is not able to detect obstacles

towards extreme right and left of the user. However, the main focus of the project is

to design the system that will have longer distance of obstacles detection unlike

current systems. The block diagram of the project is shown as in Figure 2.2.

Figure 2.3 Block Diagram of the Components


The basic concept of this work is to design an electronic guiding stick with

obstacle avoidance system by using IR sensor. The designed electronic stick has

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been embedded with IR sensor to measure the distance in range of approximately

100-550 cm .

The IR consists of transmitter and receiver in combined manner. The IR beams are transmitted from IR LED transmitter within a range of 100 to 550 cm .

The transmitted beam senses the obstacles and reflected back to photodiode

receiver. Then, the microcontroller processed the signal and active a vibrator and a

buzzer as output indicators that were placed in the handle of the guiding stick.

2.3 Application of Radio Frequency Identification in Blind NavigationSystem

The application of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to be implemented in a

Blind Navigation System was proposed by Bin Ding, Haitao Yuan, Li Jiang and

Xiaoning Zang [3].

2.3.1 Basic Concept

The project has been planned to be conveniently used to solve the

requirement and difficulties in the blind trip. In this project, wireless and mobile

communications technologies have been used. Radio Frequency Identification

(RFID) technology is a non-contact automatic identification technology, which has

the qualities of large capacity, long performance life and long reading distance.

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The system consists of RFID reader, antenna, RFID tags, mobile terminal,

call center, route server and tag information database as shown in Figure 2.3 [3].

Figure 2.4 Frame of Blind Navigation System

The blind need to tell the call center about his destination by his mobile

phone and then the mobile phone sends the user‟s location information to the call

center. The RFID reader reads the road tag near the user and it connects with the

mobile phone by Bluetooth interface and sends the tag information to the mobile

phone.

Next, the call center inputs the destination and location information to the

route server. The route server searches necessary data from the tag information

database. The tag information database sends the data to the route server and it

produces an optimal route according to route arithmetic and sends the route to the

call center.

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2.3.3 Indicator

The output i s the call center will sends the optimal route to the user‟s mobile phone. Instead of using a mobile phone, audio signal also can be the output option to

assist the blind in walking and finding their way.

2.4 Microcontroller

Microcontroller is a compact microcomputer designed to regulate the

operation of embedded system in motor vehicles, robots, office machines and

numerous other devices. An embedded system is a very sophisticated system that

required minimal memory and program length, no operating system and less

software complexity.

2.4.1 Arduino Uno Microcontroller

The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATMEGA328. It

is an open source single board microcontroller, heir of the open source wiring

platform, thus helping in designing electronic project easily. Arduino need to be

programmed in order to drive the designed function. The software that can be used

for Arduino Uno programming is Arduino software.

It has 14 digital input/output pins of which can be used as PWM outputs, 6

analog inputs, a 16MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, and

ICSP header, and a reset button. It comprises everything needed to support the

microcontroller.

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2.5 An Ultrasonic Navigation System For Blind People

The proposed system detects the nearest obstacles via stereoscopic sonar

system and sends back vibro-tactile feedback to inform the blind about itslocalization [4]. The sonar system is based on two ultrasonic sensors; one emits an

ultrasonic waves and the other measures the echo.

2.5.1 Basic Concept

This project is based on a microcontroller with synthetic speech output. It

gives information to the user about urban walking way to point out what decisions to

make. The speech synthesizer is activated by pulse from the microcontroller. The

output represents the different actions to be taken.


The system consists of a microcontroller, an accelerometer, a footswitch, a

speech synthesizer, an hexadecimal keypad, a mode switch, two ultrasonic sensors,

two vibrators and a power switch. The block diagram of the system is described by

Figure 2.5.

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Figure 2.5 Block Diagram of the System

It works by sending out a pulse of ultrasound. The pulse is reflected from an

object in the path of the user and is sent to the microcontroller. The vibration

increases as the distance between the user and the obstacles decreases. The system

has two modes of operation, record and playback. In the record mode, the blind

walks the route of interest, and the aid measures the distance travelled by the user.

When the blind reaches a decision point, for example, the user takes a left turn and

the user presses a key on the aid coded with a left turn instruction. In the playback

mode, the aid measures again the distance travelled by the user. If it is equal to thatstored in the memory, a corresponding decision word generated by the synthesizer is

given to the blind. The system can store a number of routes, each of which is

numbered, and be selected using the same set of keys as for the decisions.

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2.6 An Electronic White Cane For Blind People Navigation Assistance

This project propose a system named Smart Vision [5] which is able to help

the user to move around unfamiliar environment, whether indoor or outdoor, througha geographical information using RFID technology.

2.6.1 Basic Concept

This project is based on a navigation system that uses RFID as the main

technology. The RFID tags are placed along the street walk where the visionless

persons may pass by and RFID reader located inside the walking cane.


The main goal of Smart Vision project is to allow the blind person to

navigate himself in two different environment, indoor and outdoor. This project used

a stereo vision system, RFID tags, GPS for outdoor positioning and GIS for indoor

positioning. After getting the present position, through GPS or RFID, the system

feeds the user with applicable information with the help of the GIS server, using

Text to Speech software to convert text stored in a database into audio signs.

The RFID tag reader is mounted at the bottom of the white cane. The cane

use USB to establish communication with the processing unit. Next, the RFID tag

reader unit is developed using Bluetooth to transmit data. A small vibrator is also

placed near the handle of the cane which is to alert the user each time a tag is

detected and allowing the user to know its relative position to the tag.

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Figure 2.6 RFID Tags Position

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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the overall project implementations. It consists of four

parts, namely the general construction, project overview, electrical design and

software development.

3.1 General Construction

The walking stick used in this project is a ready-made stick readily available

from a shop. The walking stick with a hand held is chosen due to several factors such

as easy to hold and maintain. It is built from aluminum. Figure 3.1 shows the stick to

be used in developing the automated walking stick. The walking stick is estimated

about 100 cm in length which is suitable for average human height.

Figure 3.1 Aluminum Walking Stick

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3.2 Project Overview

Figure 3.2 Project Block Diagram

Figure 3.2 demonstrates the block diagram of the overall system. The system

has two ultrasonic sensors which function simultaneously to detect obstacles in the

user path. The sensors detect the obstacle and resolve the distance between theobstacle and the user. The output of the sensor will be sent to the microcontroller.

The microcontroller receives the output signal from the sensors and processes

them. If the output signal is within the programmed distance range, the

microcontroller will activate the indicators. In this project, there are two indicators

used i.e. a buzzer and a vibrator.

3.3 Electrical Design

The electrical design of the system includes the ultrasonic sensors, the

microcontroller indicators and a switch, as shown in Figure 3.3.

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Figure 3.3 View of the Main Circuit

3.3.1 Microcontroller Design

Figure 3.4 Microcontroller Pin Diagram

The brain of the entire system is the microcontroller where most part of the

data management is done here. The microcontroller used in this project is Arduino

Uno R3, as illustrated in Figure 3.5. Arduino board has an ATMEGA328P

microcontroller merged in it [12]. It has 32 KB of flash memory of storing code. Italso has 2 KB of SRAM and 1 KB of EEPROM. The detail features of the

microcontroller are as in Appendix E.

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Figure 3.5 Arduino Uno R3

The microcontroller receives signals from the sensors and perform data processing. It calculates the signals received before any action is taken by the

microcontroller.

3.3.2 Ultrasonic Range Sensor

The ultrasonic range sensor is used to detect the distance between the userand the obstacles for above-knee and below-knee position. The model of the sensor

used is HC-SR04. The image of the sensor is illustrated in Figure 3.6 below.

Figure 3.6 HC-SR04 Sensor

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Ultrasonic waves are emited from the module and is able to detect

obstructions within the range of 2cm – 400cm long. The operating voltage for the

sensor is 5V and the consumption current is 15mA. The range through the time

interval between sending signal and receiving echo signal can be calculated using the

formula [8] :

Range = High Level Time * Velocity (340µ/S)/2

3.3.3 Indicator

There are two indicators used in this project as the output of this stick. For

both above-knee and below-knee ultrasonic sensor, the indicators used are buzzer

and vibrator. Both indicators are triggered when there is obstacle in the path of user.

The features of both indicators are described as below:

i. Buzzer

Figure 3.7 shows a buzzer with wire which a component that produces

a beeping sound based on the voltage supplied to it. It has two

terminals which are voltage supply and ground terminal. The

operating voltage range is 6 V .

Figure 3.7 Buzzer

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ii. Vibrator

Figure 3.8 shows a vibrator which is able to produce vibration

according to the voltage supplied. It has two terminals which are

voltage supply and ground terminal. The operating voltage is 5 V and

needs enough current to operate properly.

Figure 3.8 Vibrator

3.3.4 Power Supply

The battery used in this project is Alkaline type. The entire system is

powered up by a battery which is able to supply 9 V with battery capacity of

400 m AH. The power supply is high enough to power up all the components.

Otherwise, the system will not be able to operate well.

Figure 3.9 Battery

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3.3.5 Slide Switch

The switch used in this project is a slide switch. It consists of 3 terminals

which are easy to do the connection. A user needs to slide the switch to power up thesystem. When the stick is not used and the switch is turned off, this may safe the

power of battery usage.

Figure 3.10 Slide Switch

3.4 Software Development

Software development is the most important part as to ensure that the stick

functions well. It includes the programming of the sensor with indicators and the

schematic diagram.

3.4.1 Programming of the Sensor and Indicators

The two ultrasonic sensors, the buzzer and the vibrator must be declared in

the coding before it can be set within the specific ranges as shown in Figure 3.11

below.

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Figure 3.11 Coding for Sensor and Indicators

3.4.2 Distance Calculation

After the microcontroller received signal from the ultrasonic sensors, the

microcontroller does the processing of data to get the actual distance travelled by the

signal using the formula as shown in figure below.

Figure 3.12 Distance Formula

3.4.3 Schematic Diagram

The schematic diagrams for this project are done using Fritzing software. The

whole circuit consists of two ultrasonic sensors, a buzzer, a vibrator, a slide switch

and the microcontroller. The schematic diagrams are included in Appendix A.

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CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

This chapter discusses the results obtained from experiments.

4.1 Response of Stick for Various Obstacles

The experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the suggested

methods. The ultrasonic sensor used gives the information about the distance within

a specific range. The circuit has been designed to investigate the response of the

sensor for various objects in cm . Table 4.1 shows the detection range for 4 types of

objects.

Table 4.1 Detection Range for Various Object

Obstacle Test 1 Test 2 Test 3

Wall 198 210 203

Human Body 100 114 122

Plastic 115 124 145

Metal 210 199 215

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4.2 Performance Analysis of Ultrasonic Sensor

The sensor emits high frequency of ultrasonic waves and give an analog

value at the output. The sensor is able to detect objects at ranges between 2 -400 cm long. Table 4.2 shows the performance analysis of ultrasonic sensor in obstacle

detection.

Table 4.2 Performance Analysis of Ultrasonic Sensor

Range (cm) Measured (mV)

5 46

10 95

15 144

20 196

25 247

30 296

There is a slight difference between the values measured and observed as in

the table. It shows that the sensor is not capable of showing the exact values and

ended in errors. Figure 4.1 below shows the graph of the performance analysis of

ultrasonic sensor. The graph is almost in linear form.

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0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

5 10 15 20 25 30

M e a s u r e d

( m V )

Range (cm)

Figure 4.1 Graph Performance

4.3 Sensor Detection Analysis

After analyzing the performance of the sensor, the ultrasonic sensors were

tested with the present of indicators as the output. The analysis of both above-knee

and below-knee sensor position are explained as follow.

4.3.1 Above and Below-Knee Position

The range for both position of the sensor is divided into 2 different parts as

illustrated in the Figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2 Range detection

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For the first operational range, the distance is set to vary from 0 cm to 30 cm .

The second range is set from 61 cm until it is out of range.

Table 4.3 Description of Sensor DetectionNo Range (cm) Output

1 0-60 Buzzer and vibrator ON

2 61-Out of Range No sound and vibrate

Both positions of the ultrasonic sensors are assigned with the same output

from the buzzer and vibrator. The output for the first range which is between 0 cm –

60 cm produces continuous sound and vibration which indicate that the user is close

to the obstacles.

For the second range, which is from 61 cm until it is out of range, the buzzer

and vibrator will not produce any sound nor vibrate. It shows that the user is safe to

continue walking.

4.4 Logic Algorithm

The flowchart in Figure 4.3 explains the flow of object detection for both

sensors in above-knee and below-knee positions. Both sensors operate

simultaneously and the system repeats continuosly. The outputs are set to be both buzzer and vibrator for different distance ranges.

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Figure 4.3 Flowchart

4.5 Walking Stick

The walking stick is made from aluminium and has a length of 100 cm .

Figure 4.4 Top View

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Figure 4.4 shows the top view of the walking stick. The black box contains

the main circuit of the system.

Figure 4.5 Front View

The front view is as shown in Figure 4.5. It has two ultrasonic sensors which

are attached to the walking stick, with the 3D printing casing to hold them. The full

image of the complete walking stick is shown in Figure 4.6.

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Figure 4.6 Full Image View

100cm

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CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter briefly discusses the conclusion and recommendations for future

advancement to enhance the development of the project.

5.1 Conclusion

The advancement of walking stick for the blind can be implemented using

several ways of distance measurement detection. Ultrasonic range sensor and

infrared sensor are examples of sensors that are appropriate for the system. However,

ultrasonic range sensor is more suitable to be implemented due to several factors.

The ultrasonic range sensor is used in this project because it is small, light in

weight and consumer less power compared to infrared sensor [7]. It also is less

affected by some materials or by colour. The infrared sensor is easily affected by

sunlight and dark materials. Besides, it is capable of detecting objects within 300 cm .

The ultrasonic sensors used in this project are placed at above-knee and

below-knee positions to detect the obstacles in the user path. This method is very

helpful for the blind especially when they are moving alone for outdoor activities

[10].

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Using the Arduino Uno as the microcontroller for the smart walking stick has

improved the overall system. The sensors and indicators are easy to be programmed

and easy to be implemented with the microcontroller. In conclusion, the project is

successfully done and the objectives of the project are achieved.

5.2 Recommendations

Some improvements are required for enhancement of the walking stick for

the blind. In order to improve it, the servo motor can be added at the ultrasonic

sensor so that it can rotate and detect any obstacles towards extreme right and leftside.

In addition, buzzer and vibrator can be replaced with a voice indicator to

notify the actual distance between the obstacles and the user. A water sensor

detection also can be added to the walking stick [9].

The ultrasonic range sensor can be replaced with infrared sensor for larger

range of obstacles detection. The battery selection is also an important part. It can be

improved by implementing a rechargeable battery.

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CHAPTER 6

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

This chapter briefly describe the planning and the cost estimation of the

whole project.

6.1 Planning

Table 6.1 shows the gantt chart for the whole project. In order to complete

the project, all of the following steps have been taken.

Table 6.1 Gantt Chart for Semester One

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Table 6.2 Gantt Chart for Semester Two

6.2 Cost Estimation

Table 6.3 shows the cost estimation for the whole project.

Table 6.3 Cost EstimationItems Quantity Price(RM)/Unit Total(RM)

Arduino Uno Starter Kit 1 80.00 80.00

Ultrasonic Ranging Sensor 2 35.00 70.00

Buzzer 1 3.00 3.00

Slide Switch 1 1.80 1.80

9V Battery 1 5.00 5.00

Donut Board (Small) 1 1.60 1.60

Male-Female Jumper 2 set 4.50 9.00

Female-Female Jumper 1 set 4.50 4.50

Plastic Box 1 5.00 5.00

Walking Stick 1 15.00 15.00

Single Core Wire 2 m 0.40 0.80

DC Jack (Male) 1 2.00 2.00

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Connector Pin 1 0.80 0.80

Crocodile Clip 4 0.40 1.60

TOTAL 200.10

Based on the table above, the cost estimation for the walking stick for the

blind is about RM 200.10. It is affordable to buy compared to other electronic

walking stick. Most of the components were bought at the Cytron which located in

Taman Universiti, Skudai. Besides that, some components were bought from MRJ

System via Cash on Delivery (C.O.D).

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REFERENCES

[1] Jayant Sakhardande, Pratik Pattanayak, and Mita Bhowmick, Arduino Based

Mobility Cane . International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research.

Mumbai, India. April, 2013.

[2] K. Divya, P. Dhivya, R. Gayathri, and P. Govindaraj, Electronic Guiding Stick

to Assist the Visually Challenged. AIM/CCPE 2012, CCIS 296. Bangalore,

India. 2012.

[3] Bin Ding, Haitao Yuan, and Xiaoning Zang, The Research on Blind Navigation

System Based on RFID. University of Science & Technology of China, 2007.

[4] Mounir Bousbia-Salah, Abdelghani Redjati, Mohamed Fezari and Maamar

Bettayeb, An Ultrasonic Navigation System For Blind People. IEEE

International Conference on Signal Processing and Communications . Dubai,

United Arab Emirates. November, 2007.

[5] Faria J, Lopes S, Fernandes H, Martins P and Barroso J, Electronic White Cane

For Blind People Navigation Assistance. World Automation Congress . 2010.

[6] Liyana binti Ramli (2011). Development of An Electronic Walking Stick For The

Visually Impaired With Z-Axis Detection , Bachelor Degree Universiti Teknologi

Malaysia, Skudai.

[7] Capstone Project (2013). Compact Stick , Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai.

[8] Tarek Mohammad, Using Ultrasonic and Infrared Sensors for DistanceMeasurement. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technolog, 2009-

03-26 . Chittagong, Bangladesh. 2009.

[9] Srirama Divya, B.Navya, P.Suma Manasa and S.Chitra (2010). Ultrasonic And

Voice Based Walking Stick For The Blind , Bachelor Degree Gokaraju Rangaraju

Institute Of Engineering And Technology, Hyderabad.

[10] Krishna Kumar (2014). Development of Walk Safe Cane For The Rehabilition

Of Blind People , Bachelor Degree National Institute Of Technology Rourkella.

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APPENDIX A

A.1 Microcontroller Schematic Diagram

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APPENDIX A

A.2 Ultrasonic Schematic Diagram

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APPENDIX A

A.3 Buzzer Interface Schematic Diagram

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APPENDIX A

A.4 Vibrator Interface Schematic Diagram

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APPENDIX A

A.5 Slide Switch Interface Schematic Diagram

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APPENDIX B

Features of Microcontroller

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APPENDIX C

Source Code

const int trigPin = 7;

const int echoPinRight = 5;

const int echoPinLeft = 6;

const int ledPin = 13;

const int buzzerPin = 8;

const int vibratorPin = 9;

int sound = 250;

void setup() {

Serial.begin (9600);

pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(echoPinRight, INPUT); pinMode(echoPinLeft, INPUT);

pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(buzzerPin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(vibratorPin, OUTPUT);

}

void loop() {long durationRight, cmRight;

long durationLeft, cmLeft;

digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);

delayMicroseconds(5);

digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);



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durationRight = pulseIn(echoPinRight, HIGH);

cmRight = (durationRight/2) / 29.1;

if (cmRight 60) {

Serial.println("out of range");

noTone(buzzerPin);

}

else {

Serial.print(cmRight);

Serial.print("cm - Right side");

Serial.println();

tone(buzzerPin, sound);

}



digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);



durationLeft = pulseIn(echoPinLeft, HIGH);

cmLeft = (durationLeft/2) / 29.1;

if (cmLeft

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digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);

digitalWrite(vibratorPin, HIGH);

sound = 250;

}

else {

digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);

digitalWrite(vibratorPin, LOW);

}

if (cmLeft > 60) {

Serial.println("out of range");

noTone(buzzerPin);

}

else {

Serial.print(cmLeft);

Serial.print("cm - Left side");

Serial.println();

tone(buzzerPin, sound);

}

delay(800); //ms

}

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APPENDIX D

Datasheet HC-SR04

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APPENDIX E

Datasheet Vibrator

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APPENDIX F

Datasheet Slide Switch

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