DESIGN OF A MICROCONTROLLER-BASED SMART BLIND CANE

Individuals with visual impairment encounter substantial difficulties in navigating daily activities due to their inability to perceive their immediate surroundings, particularly during pedestrian crossings at intersections. To address these mobility constraints, this research proposes the development of an intelligent assistive cane incorporating a single-chip microcontroller system. The cane uses a modular design, mainly integrating an STM32F103C8T6 minimum system module, an ultrasonic ranging module, an OpenARTmini vision sensor module, and a voice synthesis module. The intelligent guide cane integrates an ultrasonic ranging module with a visual sensor module, enabling the recognition of traffic light signals and traffic signs while achieving three-dimensional environmental perception. This design overcomes the limitations of ecological sensing imposed by traditional single-sensor systems. Additionally, it incorporates a composite feedback mode consisting of buzzer alarms, vibration feedback, and speech synthesis, which facilitates differentiated information transmission tailored to diverse scenario requirements. By meeting the daily needs of blind individuals through context-specific information delivery, the system enhances their independent mobility and promotes social participation.