Movement support system, tool and method for physically disabled person

A movement support tool in a movement support system for a physically disabled person, the movement support system comprising:

• the movement support tool configured to support movement of a user in a passage;
• a plurality of passage units configured to be arranged side by side in the passage and operate to act on the movement support tool;
• and
• a control apparatus configured to be able to communicate with the movement support tool and control operations of the plurality of passage units,
• wherein the movement support tool comprises:
• a magnetically attractive part configured to be attracted to a magnet;
• a non-contact tag part configured so that a user ID is embedded;
• a reception part configured to receive a wireless signal;
• an input part configured to be able to input destination information;
• an output part configured to be able to output a guidance;
• and
• a control part configured to control the reception part, the input part, and the output part,
• wherein the magnetically attractive part is attracted to an electromagnet part of the passage unit,
• wherein the user ID of the non-contact tag part is read by a non-contact reading part of the passage unit,
• wherein the reception part receives the wireless signal transmitted from a transmission part of the passage unit, and
• wherein the control apparatus is configured to execute processings of:
• acquiring the destination information and the user ID from the movement support tool;
• acquiring the user ID of the non-contact tag part read by the non-contact reading part of a first passage unit closest to the movement support tool among the plurality of passage units, and preset position information of the first passage unit, from the first passage unit;
• calculating a route from the position information of the first passage unit to the destination information;
• generating a guidance based on the route and the preset position information of the first passage unit related to the non-contact reading part that read the user ID of the non-contact tag part of the movement support tool;
• outputting the generated guidance from the output part of the movement support tool through the transmission part of the first passage unit and the reception part of the movement support tool;
• and
• controlling each of the electromagnet parts of the plurality of passage units so as to attract (pull) the magnetically attractive part in a traveling direction of the route based on the route and the preset position information of the first passage unit related to the non-contact reading part that read the user ID of the non-contact tag part of the movement support tool.

A movement support method for a physically disabled person, of supporting a movement of the physically disabled person, using a movement support system for the physically disabled person, the movement support system comprising:

• a movement support tool configured to support movement of a user in a passage;
• a plurality of passage units configured to be arranged side by side in the passage and operate to act on the movement support tool;
• and
• a control apparatus configured to be able to communicate with the movement support tool and control operations of the plurality of passage units,
• wherein the method comprises:
• inputting destination information into the movement support tool;
• notifying the destination information and a user ID from the movement support tool to the control apparatus;
• reading the user ID of the movement support tool by a first passage unit closest to the movement support tool among the plurality of passage units;
• notifying the user ID and preset position information of the first passage unit from the first passage unit to the control apparatus;
• calculating a route from the position information of the first passage unit to the destination information;
• generating a guidance based on the route and the preset position information of the first passage unit that read the user ID of the movement support tool;
• outputting the generated guidance from the movement support tool through the first passage unit;
• and
• controlling each of electromagnet parts of the plurality of passage units so as to attract (pull) the magnetically attractive part in a traveling direction of the route based on the route and the preset position information of the first passage unit that read the user ID of the movement support tool.