Video-based Walking Distance Measurement for the Visually Impaired

시각 장애인을 위한 비디오 기반 보행거리 측정

When the visually impaired walks inside a building like corridor, a GPS cannot be useful for the walker in estimating his or her position unlike the case of outdoor space. This paper presents two novel methods to measure the walking distance using a low cost camera worn on the chest of the visually impaired. In the first method we analyze the periodic variation of image focusing values. Walking steps are counted by checking the period for the rough measure of the walking distance. The second method counts the step number by monitoring fixtures on the ceiling, which have a certain interval. Lamps on the ceiling appeared on the video are monitored in this paper. The T-S fuzzy theory is used to detect lamps, and the walking steps are estimated by the positional variation of the lamp due to the gait of the walker. The two methods are tested in real experiment, and the results are compared.