ICS 31.19  
 
Reference number  
RS 507: 2022  
© RSB 2022  
  
 RWANDA 
STANDARD  DRS  
507: 2022  
 
First e dition  
2022 -mm-dd 
 
Electronic cane for people with visual 
impairment  — Requirement s  
   
DRS 507: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  ii 
 In order to match with technological development and to keep continuous progress in industries, 
standards are subject to periodic review. Users shall ascertain that they are in possession of the latest 
edition  
 
 
 
© RSB 2022  
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized 
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without 
prior written permission from R SB. 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document should be addressed to : 
Rwanda Standards  Board  
P.O Box 7099 Kigali -Rwanda  
KK 15 Rd, 49  
Tel. +250 788303492  
Toll Free: 3250  
E-mail: info@rsb.gov.rw  
Website: www.rsb.gov.rw  
ePortal: www.portal.rsb.gov.rw   DRS 507: 2022  
iii                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Contents  Page 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  1 
3 Term s and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  1 
4 Product description  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  2 
4.1 Classification  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
5 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  2 
5.1 General requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  2 
5.2 Electronic cane materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  3 
6 Specific requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  4 
7 Work manship and finish  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  5 
8 Marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  6 
9 Packaging  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 6 
10 Functional requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  6 
10.1 Technical information  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................  6 
10.2  Instructions for use  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  6 
10.3  Environment of use  ................................ ................................ ................................ ......................  7 
10.4  Warranty  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ........  7 
10.5  Lifespan  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  7 
11 Supply and service  ................................ ................................ ................................ .......................  7 
11.1  Transportation  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............................  7 
11.2  Delivery time  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 7 
11.3  Accessories and spare parts  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...... 7 
11.4  Maintenance  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 8 
11.5  Test methods  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  8 
 DRS 507: 2022  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  iv 
 Foreword  
Rwanda Standard s are prepared  by Technical Committees and approved by Rwanda Standards Board (RSB) 
Board  of Directors in  accordance with the procedures of RSB, in compliance with Annex 3 of the WTO/TBT 
agreement on the preparation, adoption and application of standards.  
The main task of technical committees is to prepare national standards.  Final Draft Rwanda S tandards adopted 
by technical  committ ees are ratifie d by me mbers of RSB Board of Director s for publication and gazettment as 
Rwanda Standards.  
DRS 507 was prepared by Technical Committee RSB/TC 021, IT and multimedia . 
In the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following standard  (s): 
1) RS IEC 60601 -1: 2005,  Medical electrical equipment - Part 1: General requirements for basic safety and 
essential performance  
2) IEC 60601 -1-6: 2010,  Medical electrical equipment - Part 1 -6: General requirements for basic safety and 
essential performance -Collateral standard: Usability  
The assistance de rived from the above source is hereby acknowledged with thanks.  
Committee membership  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee on IT and multimedia  (RSB/TC 021) 
in the preparation of this standard.  
Beno Holdings Ltd  
Carnegie Mellon University Africa  (CMU ) 
Continuity Group Ltd  
IHAHA TECH LTD  
Polyester Ltd    
University of Rwanda  – College of Science and Technology  (UR-CST)  
Rwanda  Standards Board  (RSB) – Secretariat  DRS 507: 2022  
v                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 Introduction  
Consumer and medical technology have made significant advancements over the past 60 years. However, the 
functionality of canes for  people with visual  impairment (PVI)  remains limited, relying on the user’s ability to 
physically detect objects and forcing the user to be entirely responsible for their safety. This burden can be 
mitigated with the added security of an object detector. In addition, the standard white cane has no range of 
physical options. It places additional burden on the user by forcing a change in handle grip depending on how 
crowded the surroundings are. The white cane thus requires the user to adapt to the cane rather than having a 
cane that will adapt  to the user.  
To address these shortcomings, the electronic c ane examines how canes can be technologically equipped to 
improve their functionality in a way that is also ergonomically  accessible. The goal for the electronic cane  
standard  is to eliminate this problem by requirements definition  and analysis , design, coding, test and operation. 
This electronic cane utilizes computer  vision  and sensory technolog ies for object detection  and share  different 
environmental parameters with user friendly responses . Once the project  is completed, the cane design will be 
quantitatively and qualitatively examined to determine its success as a product.RS 507: 2022  
1                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
   
Electronic cane for people with visual impairment  — Requirement s 
1 Scope  
This Draft Rwanda Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods , for electronic cane 
intended to assist the individuals with visual impairment when  in use . 
2 Normative references  
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of  their content con stitutes 
requirements of this document.  For dated references, only the edition  cited applies. For undated references, the 
latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
RS IEC 60086 -1, Primary batteries -Part 1: General  
RS ISO  2859 -1, Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes — Part 1: Sampling schemes indexed by 
acceptance quality limit (AQL) for lot -by-lot inspection  
ISO 9999 , Assistive products for persons with disability — Classification and terminology  
ISO 28219, Packaging — Labelling and direct  product marking with linear bar code and two -dimensional 
symbols  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the terms and definitions given in ISO 9999 apply.  
3.1 
electronic cane  
mobile intelligent sensor -based cane able to detect and share different environmental parameters with user 
friendly responses  
3.2 
visual impairment  
sight loss that cannot be improved by corrective lenses  
 
Note 1 to entry: Corrective lenses can be either glasses  or contact lenses .  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  2 
 4 Product description  
Electronic  cane  for people with visual impairment  is an equipment capable of detecting distant obstacles ahead , 
able to determine whether it is day or night , provides remotely atmospheric pressure, humidity  and ambient 
temperature . If needed privately, the following features among others may be added:  
a) accelerometer and gyroscope ; 
b) GNSS geofencing and tracking, cellular connectivity, RFID, wireless protocol ;  
NOTE The features above are meant to help in short range data sharing . 
c)  earphone plugin in crowded room/space as hearing aid ; 
d) long lasting rechargeable battery ; 
e) vibrator, speaker/buzzer ; 
f) foldable light reflective aluminium cane ; and  
g) rotating roller tip . 
4.1 Clas sification  
Electronic cane can be classified as foldable or unfoldable . 
4.1.1  Unfoldable  electronic cane  
The handle may have a wrist loop on the end or a small crook, which can be used to store the white cane when 
not in use. The body of the white cane is covered with a white/red paint or reflective tape to provide visibility. 
Some white canes have a few inches of red paint or reflective tape at the tip indicating the user to have both 
vision and hearing loss.  
4.1.2  Folding electronic  cane  
The folding electronic cane looks  similar to a straight electronic  cane except that it is broken up into several 
sections which are held together by an elastic cord running through the middle of the tubing, which allows it to 
be held tightly together when unfolded or folded away when not in use . 
5 Requirements  
5.1 General requirements  
5.1.1  The electronic cane shall have a straight tubing with roller tip. It shall be made of light weight material  
with about 100 mm - 180 mm  outer diameter to maintain light weight and straight tubing. The tip shall be made 
of durable material (e.g., nylon) , it can var y depending on the design . The roller tip shall be flexible enough to 
roll in 360 °. RS 507: 2022  
3                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 5.1.2 Length shall var y depending on end -user, for: 
a) minimum tall height : 155 mm; 
b) minimum m edium height : 140 cm ; and  
c) minimum s hort height : 70 cm . 
5.1.3 The handgrip shall be durable (e.g., plastic or rubber) material which provides good  for all types of 
electronic cane . Handgrip length shall be 180 mm - 250 m m, diameter: 250 mm - 350 mm. 
5.2 Electronic cane materials  
5.2.1  Shaft/Tube  
5.2.1.1  Electronic  cane  materials shall be light weight materials such as:  
a)  aluminium alloy;  
b) fiberglass ; 
c) carbon fibre ; and 
d) seasoned timber . 
5.2.1. 2 These materials shall be parallel to the annual rings, free from knots, decay, insect bite and termite 
attack.  
5.2.2  Grip 
Grip shall hav e slight roughness and non -absorbent of heat and moisture.  
5.2.3  Roller t ip  
5.2.3.1  The roller tip  shall be a nonconductive material and detachable  from the shaft. The roller t ip shall 
be capable of giving auditory impulse.  
5.2.3. 2 The length of the  roller  tip outside the electronic cane shall be 30  mm - 50 mm. The  roller tip shall 
have a peg hole at one end which shall be fixed into the other end of the shaft by either inserting it into the tube. 
The diameter of the  roller  tip shall be 12.5 mm minimum, and  shall be half round at the bottom . 
5.2.4  Electronic cane c oating  
The electronic cane shall be provided with a fluorescent coating which can give spellings  in darkness. It shall 
be corrosion resistant.  The electronic cane finish shall be reflective.   
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 5.2.5  Inner element s 
5.2.5.1  The inner elements shall  be elastic .  
5.2.5.2  They sh all include the following:  
a) single cord or wrapped ; 
b)  nylon cord ; or  
c) helical wires/cables . 
5.2.6  Electronic cane j oints  
5.2.6.1  The electronic cane joints shall be such that it shall be easily fittable after disassembling. The joints  
shall be of taper type or peg type. In case of taper joint , one end of the shaft is tapering and the other is done 
shaped.  
NOTE  In case of peg type joint, either one end of the shaft is reduced in diameter by turning or a peg button is tightly fixed 
in the shaft  to enable it to be fitted it in the female end of the shaft.  
5.2.6. 2 The male and female parts shall fit into each other firmly . The shaft shall remain attached to when 
a single or double elastic cord is passed through. The elastic cord shall be fixed at  the grip and the other end at 
the peg hold at the tip.  
6 Specific requirements  
6.1 The electronic cane for people  with visual  impairment shall  meet the specifications in  Table 1. 
Table 1  — Specific requirements for t he electronic cane for people with visual impairment  
S/N Parameter  Specification  
i.  Obstacle detection  15°-145° 
ii.  Device Weight with Battery  550 g 
iii.  Electrical Protection  Class II, Type BF  
iv.  Operating Temperature  -10° C to +110° C 
v.  Storage Temperature  -25° C to +70° C  
vi.  Relative Humidity Range  0 to 100  % relative humidity range  
vii.  Storage Humidity Range  0 % to 95 % (RH)  
viii.  Barometric Pressure Range  260 to 1260 hPa absolute pressure range  
ix.  Storage Pressure Range  100 hPa to 1060 hPa  
x.  Ingress protection  IP22 
xi.  Storage Temperature  -25° C to +70° C   
xii.  Relative Humidity Range  0 to 100  % relative humidity range  RS 507: 2022  
5                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 xiii.  Storage Humidity Range  0% to 95% (RH)  
xiv.  Barometric Pressure Range  260 hPa to 1260 hPa absolute pressure 
range  
xv.  Ingress protection  IP22 
xvi.  RGB LED Luminosity  180 mcd - 920 mcd, 20mA  
xvii.  Average Vibration Intensity  0.8 m/sec2 
xviii.  Minimum Vibration Intensity  0.6 m/sec2 
xix.  Maximum Vibration Intensity  2.3 m/sec2 
xx.  Vibration frequency  130 hertz and 180 hertz  
xxi.  Audible Alarms  > 65 dB(A)  
xxii.  Cellular network  GSM 450  - PCS 1900 Frequencies  
xxiii.  Wireless protocol  2.402 GHz to 2.48 GHz  
xxiv.  Voice assistance  20 Hz to 20 kHz  
6.2 Figure 1 below illustrates the electronic system of an electronic cane for people with visual impairment .  
 
Figure 1 — Electronic devices for electronic cane system  
 
7 Workmanship and finish  
All electronic parts/components shall be fixed and tightened into the housing of the electronic  cane  for people 
with visual impairment . The functioning of the cane shall be smooth , to avoid s harp points, roughness and  
undesirable  projections.  
 
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 8  Marking  
The electronic cane for people with visual  impairment shall  be marked  in braille or in other language with the 
following details : 
a) manufacturer’s name;  
b) initials or recognized trademark;   
c) total length of the cane below the grip ; and  
d) serial number identification . 
9  Packaging   
9.1 The electronic  cane  for people with visual impair ment shall be delivered fully assembled. All necessary 
accessories and spare parts sh all be included in the package. If any special tools are required, it sh all be 
included with in the delivery.  
9.2 Each electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment shall be delivered in an individual package with a 
label clearly stating the details of the product. The packag ing shall ensure  that the product is not damaged by 
delivery.  
9.3 The packaging shall comply with ISO 28219 . 
10  Functional requirements  
10.1 Technical inform ation  
10.1.1  Information on how to fold and unfold the electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment shall be 
provided. Instructions on how to assess, select, fit, maintain, service  and repair shall be provided by 
manufacturers.  
10.1. 2 The information materials shall be available in braille  and other language (s) in print and electronic 
format s.  
10.2  Instructions for use  
10.2.1  The user manual shall include information on safe navigation using the electronic  cane for people with 
visual impai rment with universal standard mobility techniques of how to store, clean, maintain, and repair the  
electronic  cane.  
10.2. 2 The user manual shall be provided in the official language,  braille  and if applicable, i n any other 
language . The user manual shall be provided in braille and other language in print and electronic formats.  RS 507: 2022  
7                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 10.3 Environment of use  
The e lectronic cane  for people with visual impair ment shall withstand various weather conditions, including rain, 
dust, snow, ice and sleet , and shall be environmentally  friendly . 
10.4 Warranty  
10.4.1  Provided normal heedful use, the manufacturer  shall, during the warranty period and without extra 
expenses, repair part s which break on the product (s) delivered. This comprises all spare parts and labour, 
except for normal wear and tear of the product.  
10.4. 2 The manufacturer defects warranty period sh all be at least two years after delivery of the product . The 
same sh all apply for spare parts and accessories.  Spare parts sh all be made available for  the duration of lifespan 
of the electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment.  
10.4. 3 The manufacturer  shall cover all logistical  expenses when repairing the  electronic  cane  for people with 
visual impair ment . Following a written complaint, the manufacturer  shall investigate and see to the reasonable 
repair or replacement of the product  within  30 days .  
10.5 Lifespan  
Under normal condition s of use, the  electronic  cane  for people with visual impair ment  shall be designed for at 
least nine years and half of use.  
11 Supply and service  
11.1 Transportation  
Information on how the electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment shall be transported and who s hall pay 
for the transportatio n shall be provided  by the manufacturer before purchase . 
11.2 Delivery time  
11.2.1  Delivery time can vary according to the order size, inventory of the manufactur er and applicable  lead 
time. For international delivery , it can be affected by shipment method and the customs clearance procedures.   
11.2. 2 In general, after confirmation of order and payment arrangement s, the delivery for domestic order 
should not exceed 30 working days and the delivery for international order should not to exceed 60 working 
days.  
11.3 Accessories and spare parts  
The following spare parts shall be provided:  
a) electronic cane  tips;  
©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved                  8 
 b) elastic cords (foldable electronic  cane only) ; and  
c) travel charger . 
11.4 Maintenance  
The manufacturer shall provide  information about  hardware and software  maintenanc e and repair  of the 
electronic  cane  for people with visual impair ment . 
11.5 Test methods  
11.5.1  Size  
The measuring instruments used shall be:  
steel ruler , the division value is 0.5 mm . 
vernier calliper , the division value is 0.02 mm . 
11.5.2  Length  
The length shall be measured with a steel ruler. The accuracy shall be 0.5 mm.  
11.5.3  Endurance test 
The foldable electronic cane for people with visual impair ment  shall be folded and unfolded manually or by 
mechanical mean s for 1 000 times. After  conducting the performance  test, the electronic cane shall not  have 
any defect .  
11.5.4  Diameter  
11.4.4.1  The diameter of round  electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment  shall be measured at one -
half of the full length.  
11.4.4. 2 The diameter of the tip plane shall be measured with a vernier calliper at the smallest point of the 
tip.  
11.4.4. 3 The accuracy of the measurement shall be 0.02 mm.  
11.5.5  Tracking   
Tracking shall be done by using tracking software by matching physical  location and  software  geographical 
data.  RS 507: 2022  
9                ©RSB 2022  - All rights reserved  
 11.5.6  Battery and power management  
Battery voltage and power ratings shall be measured in accordance with  RS IEC 60086 -1. 
11.5.7  Sensory requirements  
When the electronic cane  for people with visual impair ment  is tested one by o ne, by visual inspection and  sensor 
detection , it shall meet the requirements specified in Clause 6. 
11.5.8  Sampling requirements  
Sampling plan shall be performed in accordance with RS ISO 2859 -1. 
 RS 507: 2022  
 
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