BLIND ASSISTIVE STICK

A Minor Project Report Submitted in the partial fulfillment of the

requirement For the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Technology
In
Electronics and Communication Engineering
To
GGSIPU, DELHI
Under the guidance of

DR. AJAY SHARMA

(Asso.P/ECE)

Submitted By:

RAHUL BAJAJ (01425502815) LOKESH PETWAL (42425502815)

SHUBHAM SHARMA (43025502815)

JEMTEC - JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus

Approved by AICTE Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, New
Delhi (JIMS Engineering Management Technical Campus, Greater Noida)

1
 CONTENTS

S.NO. CONTENTS PAGE NO.

1. CERTIFICATE. 3

2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 4

3. LIST OF FIGURES. 5-6

4. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE. 7-8

5. GENERAL DIAGRAM OF THE 9

BLIND STICK.
6. BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE 10
PROJECT.
7. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM. 11

8. METHODOLOGY. 12

9. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS 13
(Tools used).
10. ARDUINO,IC 7805, 14-31
TRANSISTOR,ULTRASONIC
SENSOR,LDR,THERMISTOR,WATER
SENSOR.
11. ADVANTAGES AND 32-33
DISADVANTAGES OF BLIND
ASSISTIVE STICK.
12. APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE 34
SCOPE.
13. CONCLUSIONS. 35

2
 CERTIFICATE

This is certified to be the bonafide work of the students Shubham

Sharma(43025502815),Rahul Bajaj(01425502815),Lokesh Petwal(42425502815) in the
minor project on Blind assistive stick submitted in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for
the award of the degree of bachelor of technology in ECE during the academic year 2018.

Submitted by: Guide:

Shubham Sharma(43025502815), DR. AJAY SHARMA

SIGN: (……………………..) (Asso.P/ECE)

Rahul Bajaj(01425502815), SIGN: (……………………..)

SIGN: (……………………..)

Lokesh Petwal(42425502815)

SIGN: (……………………..)

3
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without the
kind support and help of our prestigious faculty. We would like to extend sincere thanks to all
of them.

We are highly indebted to Dr. Ajay Sharma (Asso.P/ECE) for his guidance and constant
supervision as well as for providing necessary information regarding the project & also for
their support in completing the project.

We would like to express our special gratitude and thanks to institute people for giving us such
attention and time.

Our thanks and appreciations also go to our colleagues in developing the project and
people who have willingly helped us out with their abilities.

Shubham Sharma(43025502815),

SIGN: (……………………..)

Rahul Bajaj(01425502815),

SIGN: (……………………..)

Lokesh Petwal(42425502815)

SIGN: (……………………..)

4
 LIST OF FIGURES

FIG.NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

1. GENERAL DIAGRAM. 9

2. BLOCK DIAGRAM. 10

3. CIRCUIT DIAGRAM. 11

4. STANDARD ARDUINO UNO. 15

5. ARDUINO BOARD. 16

6. PIN DESCRIPTION OF ARDUINO. 17

7. LM-7805 PIN OUT DIAGRAM. 19

8. PIN DETAILS OF 7805 IC. 20

9. NPN TRANSISTOR. 21

10. ACTION OF ULTRASONIC SENSOR. 23

11. HC-SRO4 MODULE. 24

12. TYPICAL LDR. 25

5
FIG.NO. DESCRIPTION PAGE NO.

13. TYPICAL LDR RESISTANCE VS 25

LIGHT INTENSITY GRAPH.

14. LDR CONNECTION IN CIRCUIT. 27

15. A TYPICAL THERMISTOR. 28

16. NTC THERMISTOR. 29

17. SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR. 31

6
 INTRODUCTION

This walking stick is an alternative to the traditional walking stick. Here, Arduino UNO,
ultrasonic sensor, BUZZER module and voltage regulator are used. Arduino is a microcontroller
which can do all the calculations very fastly and quickly with great accuracy. Ultrasonic sensor
is used to detect the object in the front of the person by measuring the distance between the
object and the stick for front object detection. So, it detects the object which is very far. The
buzzer module will assist the blind person to reach the destination through the command.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Fact reported that there are 285 million visually-
impaired people worldwide. Among these individuals, there are 39 million who are blind in the
world. More than 1.3 million are completely blind and approximately 8.7 million are visually-
impaired in the USA. Of these, 100,000 are students, according to the American Foundation for
the Blind and National Federation for the Blind.

Over the past years, blindness that is caused by diseases has decreased due to the success of
public health actions. However, the number of blind people that are over 60 years old is
increasing by 2 million per decade. Unfortunately, all these numbers are estimated to be
doubled by 2020.

The need for assistive devices for navigation and orientation has increased. The simplest and the
most affordable navigations and available tools are trained dogs and the white cane. Although
these tools are very popular, they cannot provide the blind with all information and features for
safe mobility, which are available to people with sight.
All the systems, services, devices and appliances that are used by disabled people to help in
their daily lives, make their activities easier, and provide a safe mobility are included under one
umbrella term: assistive technology .In the 1960s, assistive technology was introduced to solve
the daily problems which are related to information transmission (such as personal care),
navigation and orientation aids which are related to mobility assistance.
In visual assistive technology is divided into three categories: vision enhancement, vision
substitution, and vision replacement. This assistive technology became available for the blind
people through electronic devices which provide the users with detection and localization of the
objects in order to offer those people with sense of the external environment using functions of
sensors. The sensors also aid the user with the mobility task based on the determination of
dimensions, range and height of the objects.
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 OBJECTIVE

This project describes ultrasonic blind walking stick with the use of arduino. According to
WHO, 30 million peoples are permanently blind and 285 billion peoples with vision
impairment. If u notices them, we can very well know about it they can’t walk without the help
of other. One has to ask guidance to reach their destination. They have to face more struggles in
their life daily life. Using this blind stick, a person can walk more confidently. This stick detects
the object in front of the person and gives response to the user either by vibrating or through
command. So, the person can walk without any fear. This device will be best solution to
overcome their difficulties. And we also use multiple sensors like water, light and heat sensor.

Blind people find it difficult to move in this world as they get distracted by the obstacles, they
may even get lost. So in the proposed system the above mentioned cases are taken into
consideration and implementation is provided. In order to help the blind people for detecting
object the proposed system make use of ultrasonic sensors to track the person. The main
objective of this project is to reduce the cost and to provide a better solution for the visually
impaired.

8
GENERAL DIAGRAM OF THE BLIND STICK

FIG 1
9
BLOCK DIAGRAM OF THE PROJECT

FIG 2

10
CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

FIG 3

11
 METHODOLOGY

The working behind this blind stick is that it is used for special purpose as a sensing device for
the blind people. The circuit provides 5V power supply for the circuit and maintains its output
of the power supply at constant level. It is used widely to detect objects using ultrasonic sensor.
If any object is present, the ultrasonic sensor detects the object by measuring the distance
between the object and the user and sends the data to the arduino UNO.

To determine the distance of an object, calculate the distance between sending the signal and
receiving back the signal.

*Distance=speed*time

The speed of the signal travelling through air is 341m/s. The time is calculated between the
sending and receiving back the signal.

Since the distance travel by the signal is double, it is divided by two i.e., Distance=*Distance/2.

Arduino processes with this data and calculates with the command conditions. If any object is
found nearer, it sends the command to the user through the buzzer.

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 HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS(Tools Used)
• ARUDINO UNO

• IC 7805 5 VOLT VOLTAGE REGULATOR

• TRANSISTORS
✓ NPN BC 548(4 PIECES)
✓ PNP BC 558 (3 PIECES)

• ON/OFF SWITCH (1 PIECE)

• VARIABLE RESISTORS
✓ 4K7 (3 PIECES)
✓ 10 K (3 PIECES)

• CAPACITORS
✓ 1000 MICROFARAD (2 PIECES)
✓ 470 MICROFARAD (1 PIECE)

• L.E.Ds (6 PIECES)
• SENSORS
✓ ULTRASONIC SENSOR
✓ LDR(Light Dependent Resistor)
✓ THERMISTOR
✓ WATER SENSOR

• BATTERY (9V)
• BUZZER
• CONNECTING WIRES

• ICs
✓ LM 339

13
 ARDUINO UNO

Arduino is an open source computer hardware and software company, project, and user
community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller
kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the
physical and digital world.

Arduino board designs use a variety of microprocessors and controllers. The boards are
equipped with sets of digital and analog input/output (I/O) pins that may be interfaced to
various expansion boards or Breadboards (shields) and other circuits. The boards feature serial
communications interfaces, including Universal Serial Bus (USB) on some models, which are
also used for loading programs from personal computers.

The microcontrollers are typically programmed using a dialect of features from the
programming languages C and C++. In addition to using traditional compiler toolchains, the
Arduino project provides an integrated development environment (IDE) based on the
Processing language project.

The Arduino project started in 2003 as a program for students at the Interaction Design Institute
Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy, aiming to provide a low-cost and easy way for novices and professionals to
create devices that interact with their environment using sensors and actuators. Common
examples of such devices intended for beginner hobbyists include simple robots, thermostats,
and motion detectors.

Although the hardware and software designs are freely available under copyleft licenses, the
developers have requested the name Arduino to be exclusive to the official product and not be
used for derived works without permission. The official policy document on use of the Arduino
name emphasizes that the project is open to incorporating work by others into the official
product.Several Arduino-compatible products commercially released have avoided the project
name by using various names ending in-duino.

14
 FIG 4
Most Arduino boards consist of an Atmel 8-bit AVR microcontroller (ATmega8, ATmega168,
ATmega328, ATmega1280, ATmega2560) with varying amounts of flash memory, pins, and
features. The 32-bit Arduino Due, based on the Atmel SAM3X8E was introduced in 2012. The
boards use single or double-row pins or female headers that facilitate connections for
programming and incorporation into other circuits.

These may connect with add-on modules termed shields. Multiple and possibly stacked shields
may be individually addressable via an I²C serial bus. Most boards include a 5 V linear
regulator and a 16 MHz crystal oscillator or ceramic resonator. Some designs, such as the
LilyPad, run at 8 MHz and dispense with the onboard voltage regulator due to specific form-
factor restrictions.

Arduino microcontrollers are pre-programmed with a boot loader that simplifies uploading of
programs to the on-chip flash memory. The default bootloader of the Arduino UNO is the
optiboot bootloader. Boards are loaded with program code via a serial connection to another
computer. Some serial Arduino boards contain a level shifter circuit to convert between RS-232
logic levels and transistor–transistor logic (TTL) level signals. Current Arduino boards are

15
programmed via Universal Serial Bus (USB), implemented using USB-to-serial adapter chips
such as the FTDI FT232.

Some boards, such as later-model Uno boards, substitute the FTDI chip with a separate AVR
chip containing USB-to-serial firmware, which is reprogrammable via its own ICSP header.
Other variants, such as the Arduino Mini and the unofficial Boarduino, use a detachable USB-
to-serial adapter board or cable, Bluetooth or other methods. When used with traditional
microcontroller tools, instead of the Arduino IDE, standard AVR in-system programming (ISP)
programming is used.

FIG 5

16
 Pin Description

Pin Category Pin Name Details

Vin: Input voltage to Arduino when using an
external power source.
5V: Regulated power supply used to power
Vin, 3.3V, 5V, microcontroller and other components on the
Power board.
GND
3.3V: 3.3V supply generated by on-board
voltage regulator. Maximum current draw is
50mA.
GND: ground pins.
Reset Reset Resets the microcontroller.
Analog Pins A0 – A5 Used to provide analog input in the range of 0-
5V
Input/Output Digital Pins 0 - Can be used as input or output pins.
Pins 13
Serial 0(Rx), 1(Tx) Used to receive and transmit TTL serial data.
External 2, 3 To trigger an interrupt.
Interrupts
PWM 3, 5, 6, 9, 11 Provides 8-bit PWM output.
10 (SS), 11
SPI (MOSI), 12 Used for SPI communication.
(MISO) and 13
(SCK)
Inbuilt LED 13 To turn on the inbuilt LED.
TWI A4 (SDA), A5 Used for TWI communication.
(SCA)
AREF AREF To provide reference voltage for input voltage.

FIG 6

17
Blink example

Power LED (red) and User LED (green) attached to pin 13 on an Arduino compatible board.
Most Arduino boards contain a light-emitting diode (LED) and a load resistor connected
between pin 13 and ground, which is a convenient feature for many tests and program
functions. A typical program for a beginning Arduino programmer blinks a LED repeatedly.
This program uses the functions pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and delay(), which are provided by
the internal libraries included in the IDE environment. This program is usually loaded into a
new Arduino board by the manufacturer.

LIGHT BLINK CODE:

#define LED_PIN 13 // Pin number attached to

LED.
void setup() {

pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT); // Configure pin 13 to be a

digital output.
}
void loop() {

digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH); // Turn on the LED.

delay(1000); // Wait 1 second (1000
milliseconds).
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW); // Turn off the LED.
delay(1000); // Wait 1 second.}

18
 IC 7805 VOLT VOLTAGE REGULATOR

Voltage sources in a circuit may have fluctuations resulting in not providing fixed voltage
outputs. A voltage regulator IC maintains the output voltage at a constant value. 7805 IC, a
member of 78xx series of fixed linear voltage regulators used to maintain such fluctuations, is a
popular voltage regulator integrated circuit (IC). The xx in 78xx indicates the output voltage it
provides. 7805 IC provides +5 volts regulated power supply with provisions to add a heat sink.

FIG 7

7805 IC Rating

• Input voltage range 7V- 35V

• Current rating Ic = 1A
• Output voltage range VMax=5.2V ,VMin=4.8V

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 Pin Details of 7805 IC

Pin Pin Function Description

No.

In this pin of the IC positive

1 INPUT Input voltage (7V-35V) unregulated voltage is given
in regulation.

In this pin where the ground

2 GROUND Ground (0V) is given. This pin is neutral
for equally the input and
output.

Regulated output; 5V The output of the regulated

3 OUTPUT 5V volt is taken out at this pin
(4.8V-5.2V)
of the IC regulator.

FIG 8

As you may have noticed, there is a significant difference between the input voltage & the
output voltage of the voltage regulator. This difference between the input and output voltage is
released as heat. The greater the difference between the input and output voltage, more the heat
generated. If the regulator does not have a heat sink to dissipate this heat, it can get destroyed
and malfunction. Hence, it is advisable to limit the voltage to a maximum of 2-3 volts above the
output voltage. So, we now have 2 options. Either design your circuit so that the input voltage
going into the regulator is limited to 2-3 volts above the output regulated voltage or place an
appropriate heatsink, that can efficiently dissipate heat.

20
 TRANSISTOR

FIG 9

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical
power. It is composed of semiconductor material usually with at least three terminals for
connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to

one pair of the transistor's terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals.
Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a
transistor can amplify a signal. Today, some transistors are packaged individually, but many
more are found embedded in integrated circuits.
21
The transistor is the fundamental building block of modern electronic devices, and is ubiquitous
in modern electronic systems. Julius Edgar Lilienfeld patented a field-effect transistor in 1926
but it was not possible to actually construct a working device at that time. The first practically
implemented device was a point-contact transistor invented in 1947 by American physicists
John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. The transistor revolutionized the field of
electronics, and paved the way for smaller and cheaper radios, calculators, and computers,
among other things. The transistor is on the list of IEEE milestones in electronics, and Bardeen,
Brattain, and Shockley shared the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for their achievement.

Most transistors are made from very pure silicon or germanium, but certain other semiconductor
materials can also be used. A transistor may have only one kind of charge carrier, in a field
effect transistor, or may have two kinds of charge carriers in bipolar junction transistor devices.
Compared with the vacuum tube, transistors are generally smaller, and require less power to
operate. Certain vacuum tubes have advantages over transistors at very high operating
frequencies or high operating voltages. Many types of transistors are made to standardized
specifications by multiple manufacturers.

22
 ULTRASONIC SENSOR

As the name indicates, ultrasonic sensors measure distance by using ultrasonic waves.

The sensor head emits an ultrasonic wave and receives the wave reflected back from the target.
Ultrasonic Sensors measure the distance to the target by measuring the time between the
emission and reception.

FIG 10

An optical sensor has a transmitter and receiver, whereas an ultrasonic sensor uses a single
ultrasonic element for both emission and reception. In a reflective model ultrasonic sensor, a
single oscillator emits and receives ultrasonic waves alternately. This enables miniaturization of
the sensor head.

Distance calculation

The distance can be calculated with the following formula:

Distance L = 1/2 × T × C

where L is the distance, T is the time between the emission and reception, and C is the sonic
speed. (The value is multiplied by 1/2 because T is the time for go-and-return distance.)
23
Features

The following list shows typical characteristics enabled by the detection system.

[Transparent object detectable]

Since ultrasonic waves can reflect off a glass or liquid surface and return to the sensor head,
even transparent targets can be detected.

[Resistant to mist and dirt]

Detection is not affected by accumulation of dust or dirt.

[Complex shaped objects detectable]

Presence detection is stable even for targets such as mesh trays or springs.

FIG 11

24
 LDR (Light Dependent Resistor)
An LDR is a component that has a (variable) resistance that changes with the light intensity that
falls upon it. This allows them to be used in light sensing circuits.

FIG 12

Variation in resistance with changing light intensity

FIG 13

25
The most common type of LDR has a resistance that falls with an increase in the light intensity
falling upon the device (as shown in the image above). The resistance of an LDR may typically
have the following resistances:

Daylight

= 5000Ω

Dark

= 20000000Ω

You can therefore see that there is a large variation between these figures. If you plotted this
variation on a graph you would get something similar to that shown by the graph shown above.

Applications of LDRs

There are many applications for Light Dependent Resistors. These include:

Lighting switch

The most obvious application for an LDR is to automatically turn on a light at a certain light
level. An example of this could be a street light or a garden light.

Camera shutter control

LDRs can be used to control the shutter speed on a camera. The LDR would be used to measure
the light intensity which then adjusts the camera shutter speed to the appropriate level.

26
 FIG 14

The circuit shown above shows a simple way of constructing a circuit that turns on when it goes
dark. In this circuit the LDR and the other Resistor form a simple 'Potential Divider' circuit,
where the centre point of the Potential Divider is fed to the Base of the NPN Transistor.

When the light level decreases, the resistance of the LDR increases. As this resistance increases
in relation to the other Resistor, which has a fixed resistance, it causes the voltage dropped
across the LDR to also increase. When this voltage is large enough (0.7V for a typical NPN
Transistor), it will cause the Transistor to turn on.

The value of the fixed resistor will depend on the LDR used, the transistor used and the supply
voltage.

27
 Thermistor

FIG 15

A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance is dependent on temperature, more so than in

standard resistors. The word is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors are widely
used as inrush current limiters, temperature sensors (negative temperature coefficient or NTC
type typically), self-resetting overcurrent protectors, and self-regulating heating elements
(positive temperature coefficient or PTC type typically).

28
Thermistors are of two opposite fundamental types:

FIG 16

•With NTC thermistors, resistance decreases as temperature rises. An NTC is commonly used
as a temperature sensor, or in series with a circuit as an inrush current limiter.

•With PTC thermistors, resistance increases as temperature rises. PTC thermistors are
commonly installed in series with a circuit, and used to protect against overcurrent conditions,
as resettable fuses.

Thermistors differ from resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) in that the material used in a
thermistor is generally a ceramic or polymer, while RTDs use pure metals. The thermistors are
in the form of beads, rods and discs but RTDs are in different shapes and sizes. The temperature
response is also different; RTDs are useful over larger temperature ranges, while thermistors
typically achieve a greater precision within a limited temperature range, typically −90 °C to 130
°C.

29
 WATER SENSOR

A level sensing device is designed to measure the level of flow substances including liquids,
slurries and granular materials. Ther are also continuous level sensors; however, these sensing
modules can only detect the level of flow of a substance with a specific range.

A water sensor is a device used in the detection of the water level for various applications.
Water sensors are of several types that include ultrasonic sensors, pressure transducers,
bubblers, and float sensors.

Working Method

Ultrasonic sensors operate by transmitting sound waves that reflect from the liquid surface and
are obtained by the sensor. The sensor measures the time interval between the transmitted and
received signals, which is then converted into distance measurement with the help of electronic
circuits within the sensor thereby measuring the level of the liquid.

Float sensors work based on the change in resistance of a potentiometer within the sensor by the
turning of a pulley or a spring-loaded shaft.

Bubbler sensors, on the other hand, measure water level by detecting the pressure of air-filled
tubes with an open, submerged bottom end. The static pressure at the end of the tubes is more
when the water level is high, and therefore more air pressure is required to fill the tube.

30
 FIG 17

Applications

Water sensors find applications in nuclear power plants, automobiles for measuring the amount
of gasoline left in the fuel tank, engine oil, cooling water, and brake/power steering fluid.

Industrial applications of water level sensors include water level sensing in transport and
storage tanks and water treatment tanks. Wess Global Inc. manufacture different types of level
instruments for their use in municipal areas and also in the food and beverage industry.

31
 ADVANTAGES OF BLIND ASSISTIVE STICK

o Auto detection of various obstacles.

o Having the feature of giving an alarm signal when the blind person turns left and
right.

o Contains various sensors like water sensor, temperature sensor, ultrasonic sensor
and light sensor which protect the blind person from almost all kinds of obstacles.

o Easy to use.

o Low cost of production.

32
 DISADVANTAGES OF BLIND ASSISTIVE STICK

• The blind person can miss the sound of the buzzer which can mislead him.

• Sensors used in the stick have a very little range of coverage, so if some fast moving
obstacle comes in front of the person then he will have very less time to react.

• The person has to count the number of beeps coming out of the buzzer in order to
understand which kind of obstacle is coming towards him.

33
 APPLICATIONS AND FUTURE SCOPE

✓ A variety of future scope is available that can be used with the stick such as usage of Global
positioning System(GPS) can help the blind person to find source to destination route
information. GPS can help to find the shortest and best path as accordingly to Google (Bing
map based on real time coordinates).

✓ GSM attachment can help in future for any immediate casualty help. It can also contain
special arrangement to connect the walking stick to Aadhar card of blinds, helping the
government serve the physically disable even better.

✓ Water sensor that can sense any kind of water, allowing safe walking of the blind people in
order to avoid slipping .

34
 CONCLUSIONS

• The Blind Assistive Stick has been finally made into a prototype which can be used to
guide the blind. Its 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 operate to help
all the blind people in the world to make them walk easily wherever they want. It is used
to help the people with disabilities that are blind to facilitate the movement and increase
safety.

• The blind assistive stick will guide the blind people in their day to day life to get from
one destination to another destination and protects them from any obstacle ahead.

• This project will increase safety of blind people and make their life easier.

• With low cost of production this project can reach maximum blind people in the world.

35
36