ABSTRACT

Blindness is defined as a loss of vision caused by physiological or neurological reasons that

results in visual handicap. Blindness can be temporary or permanent, partial or whole, forcing
a person to become dependent on others for assistance. In today's environment, even the
disabled want to be self-sufficient and do not want to rely on others. Smart Blind Stick is an
innovative technology designed to assist blind people in resolving challenges in their daily
lives. Smart Blind Stick is a system device that includes capabilities such as obstacle
detection, navigation, a panic button, and a safety system. The device's main goal is to assist
blind persons in walking with total relief and self-reliance. Along with the NODE MCU
ESP32 WIFI, the blind stick has two Infrared sensors, a panic switch, a navigation switch,
App monitor. The Smart Blind Stick detects obstacles in front of the person automatically
using sensors in the system; it also incorporates detection at its bottom to detect, so that the
person knows if it is safe to walk on that particular ground.

Essentially, infrared sensors are embedded into the walking stick to identify impediments
ahead of the blind/impaired individuals. If there are any difficulties, it will inform the blind
guy to avoid them, and therefore the alarm in Our project proposes a low-cost walking stick
supported by cutting-edge technology and a brand-new implementation in the form of voice
announcement and buzzer to form a very useful interface. The stick is also equipped with an
emergency detector that detects and alerts the blind. In our technology-driven society, where
people attempt to quantify everything, this idea proposes a low-cost stick for blind people to
gain personal independence, allowing them to go from one location to another easily and
safely. A conveyable stick is designed and built that identifies obstructions in the blind's route
using sensors. When an obstruction is identified, the buzzer and vibration motor are triggered.
In addition, the stick has GPS and an alarm system. The GPS system provides information
about the blind man's situation utilising the stick and his relationships. The blind use an alert
system to deliver voice messages to the Blind Stick within the microcontroller in the event of
an emergency.

Keywords: Smart blind stick, Node MCU ESP32, Infrared sensors, Buzzer, APR 9600 Voice
announcement module, GPS Neo 6m, Location Tracking, Android application.
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Introduction

Blindness is a very common disability among the people throughout the globe. About 90% of
the world’s population which are visually impaired live in developing countries. They need
help to walk and do their essential work of daily life. Smart Blind Stick is a fully automated
as well as manually operated, easy to maintain, cheap and comfortable to use device. It is an
innovative device designed for visually disabled people for refined navigation and advanced
obstacle detection.

In this device, we propose advanced blind stick that allows visually challenged people to
navigate with relieve using advanced technology. The blind stick is integrated with two
Infrared sensors, panic switch, navigation switch, and voice module and safety detector along
with Node MCU. The two sensors are used to detect obstacles ahead using Infrared waves.
On sensing obstacles the sensor passes this data to the person through the microphone device.

The navigation process is implemented by smart stick with Global Positioning System (GPS)
for the blind, which will detect the obstacle and hurdle in the path and also determine
the position and location through GPS coordinates. The technologies used for the device
include embedded C language for programming and coding, Atmega328 microcontroller is
used which is a low power CMOS microcontroller, for voice communication, smartphone to
connect microphone with the device and GPS (Global Positioning System) to interface with
device for navigation. It is not an effortless task for a blind person to use this device with
complete accuracy as it requires a necessary training to help the user understand the
information and to react to them in real time.

The visually impaired are at a considerable disadvantage because they often lack the
information for avoiding obstacles and hazards in their path. They have very little
information on self- velocity, objects, direction which is essential for travel. The system
designed will detect an object or obstacle using ultrasonic sensors and gives audio
instructions for guidance. An obstacle as close to minimum distance can be detected by this
module. A resolution of obstacle distance has been designed and achieved. It is very
important to maintain efficient information while traveling to the blind people.

This system has been aimed at design and development of a smart and intelligent blind stick
which helps in navigation for the visually impaired people. The navigator system designed
will detect an object or obstacle using IR sensors and gives audio instructions for guidance.

The algorithm developed gives a suitable audio instruction depending on the duration of
Infrared travel. We developed this system to detect the obstacle while travelling and give
voice notification to visually impaired people. In this project, a solution is proposed to move
safely and detect obstacle in their path. Solution was composed of a foldable stick with a pair
of IR sensor mounted on it. Connected to an earphone to alert the blind with speech warning
message about the detected obstacle.

1.2 Background

Smart Blind Stick has been developed several times previously with attempts to help blind
people for effectively and efficiently.

Smart blind walking stick using PIC16F676

Blind stick is an innovative device designed for blind people for better navigation. RF
module is integrated with ultrasonic sensors in the device. The device uses ultrasonic sensors
to detect obstacles present using ultrasonic waves. On sensing the obstacles the sensor passes
this data to the microcontroller PIC16F676 which then processes the data and calculates the
closeness of the object. [4] If the obstacle is not that close the device does nothing. If the
obstacle is close the microcontroller sends a signal to rotate the motor which finally is
connected to the stick. It also detects and sounds a buzzer if it is lost and alerts the blind. The
system also has the feature to help the blind find their stick if they forget where they kept it.

For this purpose wireless RF based remote is used. Pressing the remote button sounds a
buzzer through which a blind person can find the stick. Thus this system incorporates the
feature for obstacle detection as well as finds the stick. The device system consisting of
sensors such as ultrasonic sensors, the feedback system which has motor interface,
microcontroller, control buttons and power circuitry which is battery-based. The system can
be designed to take of form of a detachable and portable device, which can be
unconditionally mounted on any stick.

Smart Microcontroller Based Blind Guidance System

The system consists of three sensors: front IR sensor, right IR sensor and left IR sensor. All
signals are inputs for ADC on a PIC microcontroller 16F877A which can detect any switch
triggered and generate vibrations and sound. [5] PIC runs the program in its memory when it
is turned on as it doesn’t have an operating system. PIC microcontroller is a compact
computer on a single integrated circuit which stores a set of instructions which consists of a
processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Three IR sensors are
used to attain particular details relative to the obstacle categorization. The IR sensors are the
main electronic components which act as the new eyes for the blind. IR sensors will scan the
area in there range of the IR beam. Any obstacle which lies in the scanning range of the IR
beam will be reflected and detected back by the receiver unit in the sensor.
 CHAPTER 2

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Blindness is a more severe problem among the disabilities of Human. It is difficult to lead a
normal life for a blind sighted person. Because they cannot feel their surroundings. So, most of
the blind peoples require travel aids to navigate freely in unknown environment. Researchers
invented several devices to make independent navigation for blinds. But most of them are
invented for specific tasks or the devices are not cost friendly.

Blind people can’t easily recognize obstacles or stairs while using a normal blind stick. The blind
traveller should depend on any other guide like blind cane, people information, trained dogs, etc.
About 90% of the world’s visually impaired live in developing countries. No safety features on
the normal blind stick.

Existing System: Majority of them are using a conventional white cane to aid in navigation.

The limitation in white cane is that the information is gained by touching the objects with the tip
of the cane. The traditional length of a white cane depends on the height of the user, and it
extends from the floor to the person’s sternum.
 CHAPTER 3

LITERATURE SURVEY

The main aim of this system is to permit blind persons to explore autonomously in the outside
environment. Ordinary route navigational systems in the outdoor environment are expensive
and its manufacturing is time consuming. Blind people are at extensive drawback as they
regularly do not have the data which is required, while passing obstacles and dangers. They
generally have little information about data such as land marks, heading and self-velocity
information that is crucial for them to explore them through new environment. The aim of the
overall system is to provide a low cost and efficient navigation aid for blind which gives a
sense of artificial vision by providing information about the environmental scenario of
objects around them.

Today technology is improving daily in different aspects in order to provide flexible and safe
movement for the people. In this technology driven world, where people strive to live
independently, this paper propose a low cost 3D ultrasonic stick for blind people to gain
personal independence, so that they can move from one place to another easily and safety. A
portable stick is design and developed that detects the obstacles in the path of the blind using
ultrasonic sensors. It consists of these sensors to scan three different directions, a
microcontroller, buzzer and DC vibration motor.

This study aims to develop a tool that can be used to detect obstacles for blind people. This
tool also uses the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor. The method used in the manufacture of blind
assistive prototypes in the form of sticks using Arduino and Ultrasonic Sensors for blind
people with the method obtained by hardware design techniques used consists of
ATMEGA328 as the main controller, Ultrasonic sensor HS-SRF04 as detecting objects and
LM2596 Regulator modules used for lowering the DC voltage level, this study has produced
a prototype design stick for blind people using sensor technology to help alert and move blind
people who are able to detect objects at a minimum distance of 7 centimetres with output in
the form of sound and vibration.
The objective of this study is to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired by
restoring their ability to self-navigate. In this paper we describe a compact, wearable device
that converts visual information into a tactile signal. This device, constructed entirely from
commercially available parts, enables the user to perceive distant objects via a different
sensory modality. Preliminary data suggest that this device is useful for object avoidance in
simple environments.

1. Smart walking stick - an electronic approach to assist visually disabled persons by

Mohammad Hazzaz Mahmud, Rana Saha, and Sayemul Islam in this paper the sensor-based
circuitry consisting of sensors Ultrasonic Sensor is used to detect obstacles, a microcontroller
reads these sensors and drives a buzzer. An audio output is designated by a buzzer alarm.

2. Ultrasonic Sensor based smart blind stick by Dey, Naiwrita, Ankita Paul, Pritha Ghosh,
Chandrama Mukherjee, Rahul De, and Sohini Dey. "Ultrasonic sensor based smart blind
stick." In 2018 international conference on current trends towards converging technologies
(ICCTCT), pp. 1-4. IEEE, 2018. HC-SR04 is used for obstacle detection.
 CHAPTER 4

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

Visually impaired people are the people who find it difficult to recognize the smallest detail
with healthy eyes. The objectives of this research work include as follows:

1. To design an assistive technology for visually impaired people that can detect
obstacles and provide alternative routes for the blind.
2. To alarm the user through vibration to determine the obstacles direction sources.
3. To help the user find his stick when he mistakenly loses it somewhere. Through this
smart blind stick, visually impaired people will have so much assistance.
4. In case of any problem, with the function of Global Positioning System (GPS), we can
track their whereabouts.
 CHAPTER 5

BLOCK DIAGRAM / METHODOLOGY

BLIND STICK SECTION:

WORKING:

According to the range assumed in the code, the infrared sensors work according to that and if
any obstacles come across then blind stick detects the obstacles as an input function. Then, after
receiving the input from the Infrared sensors, it will notify the user by giving the notification in
the form of voice sound. This sound will be buzzer sound, ensuring the user is notified and saved
from the obstacles he/she comes across. GPS module to track the location and voice module to
send voice notification using which the blind man could remotely locate his stick. All the
feedbacks will be given to the blind man through a Buzzer. The system offers a low-cost, reliable,
portable, low-power consumption and robust solution for navigation with obvious short response
time. Though the system is hard-wired with sensors and other components, it's light in weight.
The aspects of this system can be improved via wireless connectivity between the system
components, thus, increasing the range of the infrared sensor.
ESP32:

ESP32 comes with an on-chip 32-bit microcontroller with integrated Wi-Fi + Bluetooth + BLE
features that targets a wide range of applications. It is a series of low-power and low-cost developed
by Espressif Systems.

ESP32 Wroom Development Board

Features of ESP-Wroom-32

 ESP-Wroom-32 contains a low-power Tensilica Xtensa® Dual-Core 32-bit LX6

microprocessor at 240 MHz: 994.26 CoreMark; 4.14 CoreMark/MHz
 448 KB of ROM for booting and core functions.
 520 KB of on-chip SRAM for data and instructions.
 4MB of Flash Memory
 16 KB SRAM in RTC
 Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
 Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR and Bluetooth LE specifications
ESP-WROOM-32

 ESP-WROOM-32 development board containing Tensilica Xtensa® Dual-Core 32-bit

LX6 microprocessor operates at 80 to 240 MHz adjustable clock frequency.
 It comes with 448 KB of ROM, 520 KB of on-chip SRAM, and 4MB of Flash
Memory.

Wireless Connectivity

 On-chip Wi-Fi supports 802.11b/g/n standard

 Operates at 2.4 GHz band, up to 150 Mbps
 It also supports Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR and Bluetooth LE specifications this dual
mode of Bluetooth makes it even more versatile

Reset/Boot buttons

 In ESP32 board comes with two main push buttons one is the Reset (RST/EN) button
another is the BOOT button.
 The reset button is used to reset the ESP32 Chip.
 The use of the boot button is to enter in boot mode to upload the new sketch or
program
Power

 ESP32 development board power up from two sources one is from an external 5 Volt
source and another from the USB power source.
 The ESP32 Board operates at a 2.3 Volt to 3.6 Volt voltage source and its
recommended output current is 600 mA or more.
 Most of the ESP32 development board has an inbuilt 1117 voltage regulator which
converts the 5-volt input to 3.3 volts at the output.

Status Indicator

 In ESP32 development board has one red led status indicator, which shows status
while program uploading and serial communication.

ESP32 Development Board Pinout

The ESP32 development board has a total of 38 pinouts, the pin mapping that are as follows

Advanced Peripheral Interfaces

GPIO: Total 32 Multifunctional GPIOs are available on the ESP-Wroom-32 development

board which can be used for input/output devices. Every GPIO pin can be configured as an
internal pull-up, pull-down, or set to high impedance. The input can also be set to edge-
trigger or level-trigger to generate CPU interrupts.

Note: GPIO34, GPIO35, GPIO36, and GPIO39 are the only input pins
ADC: On-chip 12-bit SAR (Successive Approximation Registers) ADCs (Analog to Digital
Converter) which supports measurements on 16 channels of ESP32.

DAC: On-chip two 8-bit DAC (Digital to Analog) channels to produce digital signals into
analog voltage signal outputs. Both DAC channels can also support independent conversions.

PWM: ESP32 development board has support 8-bit 32 channels PWM. The pins with the
symbol ‘~’ represent that it has PWM support. It can be used for dimming LEDs or
controlling motors etc.

TOUCH Pad: ESP32 has 10 capacitive sensing GPIOs, that detect physical touch by the
human body. This technique can replace mechanical buttons and switches to eliminate
mechanical wear and tear.

I2C: The ESP32 development board has only one I2C bus interface (Supported in Arduino
IDE). which can serve as an I2C master or slave, depending on the user’s configuration.

The I2C interfaces support:

 Standard mode Support (100 Kbit/s)

 Fast mode Support (400 Kbit/s)
 Support both 7-bit and 10-bit addressing modes
 Dual addressing mode

SPI: ESP32 has three SPIs which are SPI, HSPI, and VSPI. These SPIs also support the
following general-purpose SPI features:

 Four modes of SPI transfer format (depend on the polarity and the phase of the SPI
clock)
 Speed Up to 80 MHz
 up to 64-byte FIFO

UART: ESP32 development board has two UART interfaces UART0 and UART1. Both
provide asynchronous communication and support to RS232, RS485, and IrDA too.
Way of Programming for ESP32

The ESP32 supports both C/C++ and MicroPython programming languages that you can use
to program your ESP32. Now, let’s check the supported ide for both types of languages.

Here’s a list of IDEs that supports to program the ESP32 series boards with C/C++.

 ESP-IDF
 Arduino IDE
 VS Code

Here’s a list of IDEs that supports to program the ESP32 series boards with MicroPython.

 Thonny IDE
 PyCharm
 Mu Editor
 uPyCraft IDE
 VS Code + Pymakr extension

ESP Versions Comparison sheet

The below comparison covers the detailed key features for ESP8266, ESP32, ESP32-S2,
ESP32-S3, ESP32-C3, and ESP32-C6

ESP32- ESP32- ESP32-

ESP8266 ESP32 ESP32-S2
S3 C3 C6
2020, 2020,
Announcem 2014, 2021,
2016, September 2019, September Decemb Novembe
ent Date August April
er r
Main Tensilica Tensilica Xtensa Tensilica Xtensa Tensilic RISC-V RISC-
processor L106 32- 32-bit LX6 (up to 32-bit LX7 (up to a 32-bit (up V 32-
bit (up to 240MHz) 240MHz) Xtensa to bit (up
160MHz) (optionally dual 32-bit 160MHz) to
core) LX7 160MH
dual z)
core (up
to
 240MH
z)
SRAM 160KB 520KB 320KB 512KB 400KB 400KB
ROM 0 448KB 128KB 384KB 384KB 384KB
JTAG X ✓ ✓ ? ✓ ✓
32 KB
8/16KB
Cache instructio 64KB ? 16KB ?
(configurable)
n
Wi-Fi 4
(only up
WiFi to Wi-Fi 4 Wi-Fi 4 Wi-Fi 4 Wi-Fi 4 Wi-Fi 6
72.2Mbps
)
BLE 4.2 (upgrade
BLE
Bluetooth X to 5.0, with X BLE 5.0 BLE 5.0
5.0
limitations)
Ethernet X ✓ X ? X ?
RTC
768B 16KB 16KB 16KB 8KB ?
memory
PMU ✓ ✓ ✓ ? ✓ ?
ULP
X ✓ ULP-RISC-V ? X ?
coprocessor
SHA,
SHA,
SHA, RSA,
RSA,
RSA, AES,
AES,
Cryptograph SHA, RSA, AES, AES, RNG,
SHA, RSA, AES, RNG,
ic X RNG, HMAC, RNG, HMAC
RNG HMAC,
Accelerator Digital Signature HMAC, ,
Digital
Digital Digital
Signatur
Signature Signatu
e
re
Secure boot X ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
XTS-
Flash XTS-AES- XTS-
X ✓ ✓ AES-
encryption 128/256 AES-128
128
SPI 2 4 4 ? 3 ?
I2C 1 2 2 ? 1 ?
I2S 1 2 1 ? 1 ?
2 (one TX
UART 3 2 ? 2 ?
only)
SDIO Host 0 1 0 2 0 0
SDIO Slave 0 1 0 0 0 0
GPIO 17 34 43 44 22 22
LED PWM 5 16 8 ? 6 ?
MCPWM 0 6 0 2 0 0
Pulse
0 8 4 ? 0 X
counter
GDMA* 0 0 0 ? 6 ?
Serial/
USB X X USB OTG 1.1 ? ?
JTAG
TWAI** 0 1 1 ? 1 ?
2x 12-bit
1x 10-bit 2x 12-bit SAR, up 2x 13-bit SAR, up SAR, up
ADC ? ?
SAR to 18 channels to 20 channels to 6
channels
DAC X 2x 8-bit 2x 8-bit ? X X
1x 2x
8x 4x
transmissi transmissi
RMT transmission/recep transmission/recep ? ?
on + 1x on + 2x
tion tion
reception reception
2x 54-bit
2x 23-
Timer 4x 64-bit 4x 64-bit ? + 1x 52- ?
bit***
bit
Temperatur
✓ ✓ ✓ ? ✓ ?
e Sensor
Hall Sensor X ✓ X ? X ?
Touch
0 10 14 ? X ?
Sensor
Getting started with ESP32

For ESP32 Programming, we can use Arduino IDE. This makes things easy for Arduino
developers than learning a new language and IDE for ESP32.

Step 1

Download the latest version of Arduino Software from here and install it.

Step 2

Open the Arduino IDE and go to File ► Preference as shown in the below image.
Step 3

Now on the Preference window, Enter the below link in Additional Boards Manager URLs

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/
package_esp32_index.json

Now click on the OK Button.

Step 4

To add the ESP32 board go to the path Tools ► Board ► Boards Manager…
Type on esp32 on the search bar and click on the install button.

Wait for the installation.

Step 5

After board installation select the ESP32 board using the path Tools ► Board ► ESP32
Arduino ► DOIT ESP32 DEVKIT V1
Select the COM Port using Tools ► Port ► COM* path. In our computer, the ESP32’s
COM port shows COM5.

Example

Let’s see how to write a simple serial print sketch using Arduino IDE for ESP32.

First, connect ESP32 Development Kit to PC as shown in the below figure.

After setting up Arduino IDE for ESP32, open Arduino IDE and write a simple sketch of
the serial print as shown in the below figure.

Serial Communication program for ESP32 using Arduino IDE

void setup()

Serial.begin(9600); /* initialise serial communication */

void loop()

Serial.println("ElectronicWings"); /* print Electronic Wings at new line per second

*/

delay(1000);

}
Now upload the code using the upload button.

Note: Before uploading the code make sure the ESP32 board is in boot mode, to enter in boot
mode press the boot button then press the reset button then release the reset button and then
release the boot button, your board will go in boot mode.

ESP32 Boot and Reset Buttons

To see the result on the serial, monitor open the Serial Monitor by clicking on the upper
right option of Arduino IDE.
ESP32 Wi-Fi Basics Getting Started

ESP32 has inbuilt Wi-Fi functionalities. It has three Wi-Fi modes.

Before that, let’s understand the terms Wi-Fi station and Access Point
  Wi-Fi Station: It is a device that can connect to other Wi-Fi networks, such as Wi-Fi
routers. It is also referred to as a node or wireless client.
 Access Point: Device such as Wi-Fi Router, which allows other Wi-Fi devices to
connect to it. Generally, Access points are connected to a wired connection
like Ethernet.
 SoftAP (Software Enabled Access Point): Devices that are not specifically routers,
but can be enabled as an access point called SoftAP. e.g., Smartphone Hotspot.

ESP32 Wi-Fi Modes

Wi-Fi modes are defined in the WiFi.h library. We need to include it.

#include <WiFi.h>

We need to use WiFi.mode() function to set the mode.

1 Station Mode: ESP32 connects to an Access point. WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA)

2 Access Point Mode: Stations can connect to the ESP32 WiFi.mode(WIFI_AP)

3 Access point and Hotspot Mode: both at the same time WiFi.mode(WIFI_AP_STA)

Mode 1: ESP32 Wi-Fi Station

In this mode, ESP32 connects to the other network such as a Wi-Fi router. In the connection
process, the Wi-Fi router assigns the unique IP address to the ESP32.

The router is connected to the internet, so we can request data from the internet i.e. Cloud,
APIs, also we can send the data to the internet.
Mode 2: ESP32 Access Point

In Access point mode, ESP32 creates its own Wi-Fi network. It acts as a router and other
devices can connect to the ESP32 like smartphones and laptops.

This mode is mentioned as soft-AP (Soft Access Point).

Mode 3: ESP32 Access point and Hotspot Mode

ESP32 acts in both modes at the same time.

Note: Mode 2,3 are not covered in this guide. We will cover it in another guide.
Now, we will see how to connect with the Wi-Fi using ESP32 in MODE 1:

ESP32 Connecting to the Wi-Fi

Step-1: Set Wi-Fi Mode to Wi-Fi Station using

WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA);

Step-2: Connect to Wi-Fi by providing your network’s Wi-Fi SSID and Password to connect
with using

WiFi.begin(ssid, password);

Before this, we need to set this parameter as follows.

// Replace with your network credentials

const char* ssid = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_SSID";

const char* password = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_PASSWORD";

Step3: Done! Connecting to the Wi-Fi can take a while, so we need to add a while loop for
checking the connection status. Using WiFi.status(). After a successful connection, it
returns WL_CONNECTED.

Code

/* ESP32 Connect to Wi-Fi http:://www.electronicwings.com */

#include <WiFi.h> // Replace with your network credentials

const char* ssid = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_SSID";

const char* password = "REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_PASSWORD";

void initWiFi() {

WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA); //Set Wi-Fi Mode as station

WiFi.begin(ssid, password);

Serial.println("Connecting to WiFi ..");

while (WiFi.status() != WL_CONNECTED) {

Serial.print('.');
 delay(1000);

Serial.println(WiFi.localIP());

Serial.print("RRSI: ");

Serial.println(WiFi.RSSI());

void setup() {

Serial.begin(115200);

initWiFi();

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

Output
ESP32 Wi-Fi Connection Strength

Simply call WiFi.RSSI() after a Wi-Fi connection to get connection strength.

Get ESP32 IP Address

call WiFi.localIP() after establishing a connection with your network.

We can also set the static IP Address to the ESP32. Please check this guide “How to set the
static IP address to the ESP32” (Set URL after gets Live)

ESP32 Wi-Fi Connection Status

WiFi.status() returns one of the following values that correspond to the constants on the table:

Constant Meaning

temporary status assigned when WiFi.begin() is

WL_IDLE_STATUS
called

WL_NO_SSID_AVAIL when no SSID are available

WL_SCAN_COMPLETED scan networks is completed

WL_CONNECTED when connected to a WiFi network

WL_CONNECT_FAILED when the connection fails for all the attempts

WL_CONNECTION_LOST when the connection is lost

WL_DISCONNECTED when disconnected from a network

Disconnect from Wi-Fi Network

If we need to disconnect from Wi-Fi, Use WiFi.disconnect();

WiFi.disconnect();
So we have successfully covered the ESP32 Wi-Fi basics, its modes, and how we can connect
with the Wi-Fi.

BUZZER

A small buzzer is a common feature in electronic products and can provide an effective way
of interacting with users or raising an alarm.

Depending on the type and strength of the signals available to drive the buzzer, the physical
space available, and the required audio sound pressure level (spl), a magnetic or piezoelectric
type will be the most common options for your application.

One also has the choice between an indicator or transducer design. Indicators have built-in
drive circuitry and are easy to design-in but can produce only a single, continuous tone or
pulsed output.

On the other hand, transducers can produce more complex sounds but need you to provide an
excitation waveform and external components for switching and amplification. This cui
insights blog guides you through “buzzer basics”, including the different types of buzzers,
their features, and associated design challenges, to help you choose the most suitable type for
your application.
JUMPER WIRES:

Jumper wires are simply wires that have connector pins at each end, allowing them to be used
to connect two points to each other without soldering. Jumper wires are typically used with
breadboards and other prototyping tools in order to make it easy to change a circuit as
needed.

Jumper wires typically come in three versions: male-to-male, maletofemale and female-to-
female. The difference between each is in the end point of the wire. Male ends have a pin
protruding and can plug into things, while female ends do not and are used to plug things
into. Male-to-male jumper wires are the most common and what you likely will use most
often. When connecting two ports on a breadboard, a male-to- male wire is what you’ll need.
BATTERY:

A Battery is a device that converts chemical energy to electrical energy. The first battery was
developed by Alessandro voltain the year of 1800. It is an electrochemical cell (or enclosed
and protected material) that can be charged electrically to provide static

potential for power or released electrical charge when needed. An electronic battery is a
device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections provided to
power electrical devices such as flash lights, smartphones and electric cars. When a battery is
supplying electric power, its positive terminal is the source of electrons that when connected
to an external circuit will flow and deliver energy to an external device. When a battery is
connected to an external circuit, electrolytes are able to move as ions within, allowing the
chemical reactions to be completed at the separate terminals and so deliver energy to the
external circuit. It is the movement of those ions within the battery which allows current to
flow out of the battery to perform work. In this project we are using

Battery Voltage = 9 v

Current = 1500 mAh

BREAD BOARD:

A breadboard is a construction base for prototyping of electronics. Originally the word

referred to a literal bread board, a polished piece of wood used for slicing bread. It is

a widely used tool to design and test circuit. You do not need to solder wires and components
to make a circuit while using a bread board. It is easier to mount components & reuse them.
Since, components are not soldered you can change your circuit design at any point without
any hassle. It consist of an array of conductive metal clips encased in a box made of white
ABS plastic, where each clip is insulated with another clips. There are a number of holes on
the plastic box, arranged in a particular fashion. A typical bread board layout consists of two
types of region also called strips. Bus strips and socket strips. Bus strips are usually used to
provide power supply to the circuit. It consists of two columns, one for power voltage and
other for ground.

Socket strips are used to hold most of the components in a circuit. Generally it consists of two
sections each with 5 rows and 64 columns. Every column is electrically connected from
inside.
GPS Module:

GPS receivers are generally used in smartphones, fleet management system, military etc. for
tracking or finding location.

Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based system that uses satellites and ground
stations to measure and compute its position on Earth.

GPS is also known as Navigation System with Time and Ranging (NAVSTAR) GPS.

GPS receiver needs to receive data from at least 4 satellites for accuracy purpose. GPS
receiver does not transmit any information to the satellites.

This GPS receiver is used in many applications like smartphones, Cabs, Fleet management
etc.

How GPS Works

GPS receiver uses a constellation of satellites and ground stations to calculate accurate
location wherever it is located.

These GPS satellites transmit information signal over radio frequency (1.1 to 1.5 GHz) to the
receiver. With the help of this received information, a ground station or GPS module can
compute its position and time.
How GPS Receiver Calculates its Position and Time

GPS receiver receives information signals from GPS satellites and calculates its distance
from satellites. This is done by measuring the time required for the signal to travel from
satellite to the receiver.

GPS Distance Calculation

Where,

Speed = Speed of Radio signal which is approximately equal to the speed of light i.e.

Time = Time required for a signal to travel from the satellite to the receiver.

By subtracting the sent time from the received time, we can determine the travel time.
 GPS Signal Time Difference

To determine distance, both the satellite and GPS receiver generate the same pseudocode
signal at the same time.

The satellite transmits the pseudocode; which is received by the GPS receiver.

These two signals are compared and the difference between the signals is the travel time.

Now, if the receiver knows the distance from 3 or more satellites and their location (which is
sent by the satellites), then it can calculate its location by using Trilateration method.

GPS Module

GPS Receiver
GPS receiver module gives output in standard (National Marine Electronics Association)
NMEA string format. It provides output serially on Tx pin with default 9600 Baud rate.

This NMEA string output from GPS receiver contains different parameters separated by
commas like longitude, latitude, altitude, time etc. Each string starts with ‘$’ and ends with
carriage return/line feed sequence.

E.g.

$GPGGA,184237.000,1829.9639,N,07347.6174,E,1,05,2.1,607.1,M,-64.7,M,,0000*7D

$GPGSA,A,3,15,25,18,26,12,,,,,,,,5.3,2.1,4.8*36

$GPGSV,3,1,11,15,47,133,46,25,44,226,45,18,37,238,45,26,34,087,40*72

$GPGSV,3,2,11,12,27,184,45,24,02,164,26,29,58,349,,05,26,034,*7F

$GPGSV,3,3,11,21,25,303,,02,11,071,,22,01,228,*40

$GPRMC,184237.000,A,1829.9639,N,07347.6174,E,0.05,180.19,230514,,,A*64

Pin Description

GPS Receiver Module

VCC: Power Supply 3.3 – 6 V

GND: Ground

TX: Transmit data serially which gives information about location, time etc.

RX: Receive Data serially. It is required when we want to configure GPS module.
Check GPS module

Before Interfacing the GPS module with the PIC18F4550 microcontroller, we can check the
output of GPS module. From that string, we can extract information like longitude, latitude,
and time which is helpful to find location and timing information.

To do this, connect this GPS module to the PC via USB to Serial converter or DB9
connector. Also, it is necessary to keep the antenna of GPS module on proper location.

GPS Serial Interface

Now open any serial terminal e.g. Realterm, Hyper terminal, Putty, etc. on a PC/laptop.

Open the PORT with a 9600 baud rate.

The terminal will show data coming from the GPS receiver module.

The output data from the GPS receiver module displaying on a serial terminal as follows.

In the above string, the NMEA string starting with “$GPGGA” is most popularly used. It
provides us Time, Longitude, Latitude and Altitude along with directions. This information is
helpful to find Time and Location.

E.g.

$GPGGA,184241.000,1829.9639,N,07347.6174,E,1,05,2.1,607.1,M,-64.7,M,,0000*7C
Name Example Units Description

Message ID $GPGGA GGA Protocol Header

UTC Time 184241.000 hhmmss.sss

Latitude 1829.9639 ddmm.mmmm

N/S Indicator N N=North, S=South

Longitude 07347.6174 dddmm.mmmm

E/W Indicator E E=East, W=West

Position Fix Indicator 1 Fix GPS SPS mode

Satellites Used 05 Range 0 to 12

HDOP 2.1 Horizontal Dilution of Precision

MSL Altitude 607.1 Meters Mean Sea Level

Units M Meters

Geoid Separation 64.7 Meters

Units M Meters

Age of Diff. Corr. - Null field if DGPS is not used

Diff. Ref Station ID 0000

Checksum *7C

Carriage return Line Feed <CR><LF> End of message transmission

IR Communication

 IR light is like visible light but it is invisible to our eyes, because of which they are
suitable in application of wireless communication.
 The band for IR (Infrared) in electromagnetic spectrum is 300GHz to 430 THz and
wavelength range of around 700nm to 1mm.
 Along with the IR LED some other sources like sun, light bulbs, human and animal
bodies etc. also emit infrared energy.
 IR communication is used for short and medium distance applications.

Principle of Working

 IR LEDs transmit digital (logical 1 and 0) data in the form of infrared light.
 Logical 1 is emitted by keeping IR LED ON and logical 0 by keeping it OFF.
 This ON and OFF sequence of data is collected by IR photodiode at receiver end.

Types of IR communication

IR Communication Types

1) Point to point communication: In point to point communication, line of sight is required

between transmitter and receiver devices.

2) Diffuse communication: In diffuse communication, no need to keep transmitter and

receiver in straight line of sight. It can be done by reflecting or bouncing the transmitted
signal from surfaces like wall, ceilings etc.
Simple IR Communication using IR Photodiode Receiver

 In simple IR communication, whatever data (1 or 0) present at transmitter end will be

transmitted as it is without any modulation technique.
 Receiver collects the transmitted data (1 or 0) as it is without any demodulation or
filter technique.

Basic IR Communication

 The only limitations of this basic communication are short distance and interference
from IR energy of the surroundings.

IR Communication using Modulation

In modulation type of IR communication, IR light is modulated with carrier frequencies to

get better distance available.

Also, it provides better immunity to surrounding IR interferences. Generally, TSOP series

receivers are used to receive modulated IR light.
IR Transmitter

 For IR transmission, IR LED of wavelength 940 nm to 950 nm are commonly used.

 When we transmit the data to the IR receiver, at the same time the IR receiver also
receives IR rays from the surroundings. These IR rays from the surroundings can
distort the transmitted data.
 To avoid such surrounding interferences, IR signal can be modulated with carrier
frequencies. The commonly used carrier frequencies are 30kHz, 36kHz, 38kHz,
56kHz etc.
 In the IR communication, NEC code, Toshiba Micom Format, Sharp Code, RC5
Code, RC6 Code, R–2000 Code, Sony Format (SIRCS) etc. protocols are used.
 Also, simple RS232 serial communication protocol can be used for IR
communication. This protocol uses one start bit, 8-bit data, one parity bit (optional)
 and one stop bit format. Now, IR data is modulated to IR signal at 38kHz as shown in
figure below.

Fig: Serial data modulating at 38kHz

IR Receiver

 At receiver end, IR receiver receives data at 38kHz of carrier frequency.

 For IR filter, epoxy package is designed.
 This module is designed in such a way that any unexpected output pulses due to noise
or disturbance signal are avoided.
 Generally, TSOP series Receiver are used which support reception of various
transmitted code.
 E.g. In TSOP1738, continuous data rate is possible up to 2400 bps.
 This demodulated output signal is received by microcontroller.
 The demodulated output data of TSOP is shown in figure below.

Fig: Output data of TSOP1738

 CHAPTER 6

RESULTS

The smart blind stick is given to a physically impaired person with a prior training.
1. The physically impaired person is taught the positions of the buttons present in the smart
blind stick.
2. The owner should have an Android phone so that the installed application can be used.
3. As the person is blind thus only wired earphones can be used.
4. On switching on the application the mobile will be connected with the smart blind stick to
Android through Wi-Fi.
5. For the purpose of navigation the person can press the navigation button and it will help
them to reach their destination and will detect the obstacles present at left, right and front
using infrared sensors.
6. Whenever there is obstacle detection, there is a warning given to the blind person by voice
command.
7. The panic switch is also present in order to alert in emergencies.

Advantages

1. This gadget will operate to help all the blind people in the world to make them easier to
walk everywhere they want. And the navigation system helps them with voice command.

2. It will detect the obstacle coming on the way of blind people.

3. The most important feature will be panic button on the gadget, whenever the blind person
stuck or in emergency, his location will be sent to the predefine person.

4. The gadget will be portable and can be use in other blind sticks also.

5. And the moisture detector easily detects the soil moisture and will give command to the
blind person.

Disadvantages

1. There is a requirement of a prior training of the blind person in order to use the device.
2. The device cannot recognise objects.
3. The device can’t differentiate between people or object; it will simply sense it is an
obstacle.
4. Doesn’t not protect from obstacles at face level or from above the head.
 CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION

The smart walking stick, constructed with at most accuracy, will help the blind people to
move from one place to another without others help. This could also be considered a crude
way of giving the blind a sense of vision. This stick reduces the dependency of visually
impaired people on other family members, friends and guide dogs while walking around. The
proposed combination of various working units makes a real-time system that monitors
position of the user and provides dual. The smart stick detects objects or obstacles in front of
users and feeds warning back, in the form of voice making rather than vibration. Also the
incorporation of automatic room equipment switching in the stick will be useful while they
are indoor. The advantage of the system lies in the fact that it can prove to be a low cost
solution to millions of blind person worldwide.

All the studies which had been reviewed show that, there are a number of techniques for
making a ultrasonic blind stick for blind people. The aim of this paper is to get familiar with
the work done in making walking stick smarter and more helpful. The literatures related to
this topic were reviewed and analysed. As technology improves these smart sticks need to be
modified. So in this paper wide survey of the work related to this project is done and we have
shortlisted some useful aspects from each project. This will also help to decide designing
approach. The Smart Stick acts as a basic platform for the coming generation of more aiding
devices to help the visually impaired to be more safe. It is effective and afford. It leads to
good results in detecting the obstacles.

The Blind Walking Stick has been finally made into prototype that can be used to guide the
blind. It aims to solve the problems faced by the blind people in their daily life. The system
also takes the measure to ensure their safety. This project will help all the blind people in the
world and will make it easier for them to walk. It was done to help the blind move ahead very
well. It helps to facilitate the movement ensuring safety.
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