431 results about "Visually impaired" patented technology

A virtual computer monitor is described which enables instantaneous and intuitive visual access to large amounts of visual data by providing the user with a large display projected virtually in front of the user. The user wears a head-mounted display or holds a portable display containing a head-tracker or other motion tracker, which together allow the user to position an instantaneous viewport provided by the display at any position within the large virtual display by turning to look in the desired direction. The instantaneous viewport further includes a mouse pointer, which may be positioned by turning the user's head or moving the portable display, and which may be further positioned using a mouse or analogous control device. A particular advantage of the virtual computer monitor is intuitive access to enlarged computer output for visually-impaired individuals.

A method and apparatus for definition links for online documentation is provided. According to one aspect of the invention, the definition links for online documentation provide a non-sighted or visually impaired user employing a screen reading utility a method to select a definition link from an online document which in turn navigates the user to a corresponding link definition area of the online document. Once the user has finished reading the definition, the user can easily be navigated back to the original text area of the document. In one embodiment, the definition links for online documentation provides footnote information. In one embodiment, a method of accessing footnote links and corresponding footnote definitions is provided. The embodiments contained herein for definition links for online documentation adhere to United States Federal Section 508 guidelines for accessibility standards.

What is presented is a system and method by which a visually impaired worker could easily and quickly navigate menu options on touch screen displays. An Audible Feedback ON / OFF Switch is provided which turns the audible feedback feature of the present invention on or off. The software monitoring which row / column areas of the touch screen's display grid have been touched by the user in response to a menu option selection is made switchable into one of two modes. A first mode is when the audible feedback feature is OFF or otherwise disabled. In this mode the software operates the touch screen's menu selections in the normal manner in which the machine is intended to perform. When a user selects an option, the option is immediately activated whether it be a machine activity or a jump to another level of menus. A second mode is when the audible feedback feature has been turned ON or otherwise activated. In this mode a two step process is activated such that when a user makes a first touch of a menu option a sound or voice is audibly played indicating the nature of the particular menu option just selected. A second consecutive touch of the same menu option then actually activates the machine activity associated with that particular menu option.

The method and system of the present invention may be utilized to enable a blind or visually impaired computer user to graphically select a displayed graphic element within a computer system display. A unique identifiable audible signal is associated with each displayed graphic element. A movable cursor element or pointer is displayed within the computer system display and a composite audible signal is periodically generated in response to the position of the movable cursor element. The composite audible signal preferably includes elements of each identifiable audible signal associated with each displayed graphic element within a predetermined radius of the location of the movable cursor element. In one embodiment of the present invention, each displayed graphic element comprises multiple picture elements and the composite audible signal includes elements of each identifiable audible signal associated with each displayed graphic element having picture elements within a rotatable sector of a circle having its origin at the movable cursor element and a radius equal to the predetermined radius.

An object-enabled navigation system assists a vision-impaired user in navigating an environment. The system captures 3D movement of a moving object within the environment, wherein the three-dimensional movement is determined using at least one image capture device aimed at the moving object. The system predicts a mobile path of the visually-impaired user. The system determines whether the movement of the moving object will intersect with the mobile path of the vision-impaired user and informs the vision-impaired user whether the movement of the moving object will intersect the mobile path of the vision-impaired user.

The invention has an active touch-sensitive transparent layer over a display screen (LCD) in which an electrically responsive material, such as silicon oil or the above-described material is trapped in a very thin layer with a diode at the top part of the layer and an anode at the bottom. The electrically responsive material changes form by expanding when a current passes through the material from the anode part of the layer to the diode. The expanded material stretches part the top layer to create raised portions of the display screen. The raised portions can be used in the following capacities: to assist a vision impaired viewer, enhance night viewing, allowing for reduced attention or resources to touch-screen manipulation, or change the optical properties of the display by creating a three-dimensional optical property in the surface of the flexible material covering the expanding layer.

A 3D imaging ladar system comprises a solid state laser and geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes utilizing a scanning imaging system in conjunction with a user interface to provide 3D spatial object information for vision augmentation for the blind. Depth and located object information is presented acoustically by: 1) generating an audio acoustic field to present depth as amplitude and the audio image as a 2D location. 2) holographic acoustical imaging for a 3D sweep of the acoustic field. 3) a 2D acoustic sweep combined with acoustic frequency information to create a 3D presentation.A system to fuse data derived from a three dimensional imaging ladar system with information from a visible, ultraviolet, or infrared camera systems and acoustically present the information in a four or five dimensional acoustical format utilizing three dimensional acoustic position information, along with frequency, and modulation to represent color, texture, or object recognition information is also provided.

The invention concerns a device enabling able-bodied or handicapped persons to learn to practise roller skating, skateboarding, ice skating, skiing on snow or artificial track. The invention is characterized in that it comprises supports consisting of posts supporting the cross members beneath which are maintained rails whereon can move freely rolling wheeled carriages whereto are attached the straps secured to the harnesses, obstacles arranged or provided beneath the rails, seats provided each with two hollow pockets with inclined base enabling the persons to put on their skates and fix their strap to the harness, signalling strips arranged on the floor serving to guide visually impaired or blind persons, a device including a sensor triggering a sound signal whereof the tone is different depending on the type of the obstacle, carriages with inclined side panels retaining the straps secured to the fastening points of the harnesses.

Embodiments of the invention include systems, methods, and computer-program products that provide for a unique directional wayfinding system. In one embodiment of the invention, products are received from the user, such as a shopping list or wish list. The system determines the location of the user, determines the location of the product in the business, determines a route from the user to the product, and provides instructions to the user along the route. In an embodiment, the system identifies and / or confirms the product when the user reaches the product. In at least one embodiment, the systems, methods, and computer-program products provide functionality for the visually-impaired to assist in everyday shopping for products in businesses.

The present invention relates to a hand-held communication aid and method that assists the deaf-dumb and visually impaired individuals to communicate with each other and with normal individuals. The method enables deaf-dumb and visually impaired individuals to communicate with each other and with normal individuals on remote communication means without any hardware improvisation. The method enables face to face communication and remote communication aid for deaf-dumb and visually impaired individuals. This method requires no modifications in hand-held communication device used by normal individual.

An accessible computer system includes a user interface providing audio and tactile output to enhance the accessibility of electronic documents for a visually impaired user of the system.

A color display system is provided that may be suitable for use in a navigation system. The color display system includes a controller that selects a color scheme for the images and / or text displayed by a color display device in response to an indication of the user's ability to distinguish colors. The color display system further includes a user interface arranged to exchange information with the user, which may include color vision deficiency information indicating the user's ability to distinguish colors. Using the information regarding the user's ability to distinguish colors, the color display system may be configured to modify at least one parameter of the display's color scheme in response to a user's color vision deficiency information.

The present invention provides a wearable display device which enables the visually impaired, hearing impaired, and disabled to live a normal living and furthermore, enables them to enjoy various benefits due to the advancement of IT.A wearable display device according to the present invention comprises a communication control module controlling transmission and reception of a signal; a signal processing module processing the signal input to the communication control module and extracting information from the signal; and a display module being worn by a user in the form of glasses and displaying the information.

A image magnifier for the vision impaired which magnifies the image of face up source material (13) placed in the visual field of the camera (15) and displays the magnified image on a display (20). One embodiment includes a static high-resolution image mode and a second live video mode. The controller (29) provides different lighting appropriate for each mode. In a further embodiment the magnifier is transportable. Each part (17, 14, 16) is hinged (18, 19) to the other parts (17, 14, 16) allowing it to be folded into a compact lightweight form to be portably carried. In a still further embodiment the magnifier includes shielding for the lighting to minimise or avoid specular reflections.

When the sight impaired become mobile, they often bump their heads on unseen objects and / or hazards that could result in injury. The object detection device uses signal emitting proximity sensors that alert the user to unseen objects. The object detection device notifies the user of detected objects. Stimulators contact the user to warn the user that an object has been detected and the distance between the object and the user. Each stimulator contacts the user at a specific contact point. The stimulator finger contacting the user at a specific contact point informs the user of the distance between the user and the detected object.

A system and method for assisting a visually impaired user including a time of flight camera, a processing unit for receiving images from the time of flight camera and converting the images into signals for use by one or more controllers, and one or more vibro-tactile devices, wherein the one or more controllers activates one or more of the vibro-tactile devices in response to the signals received from the processing unit. The system preferably includes a lanyard means on which the one or more vibro-tactile devices are mounted. The vibro-tactile devices are activated depending on a determined position in front of the user of an object and the distance from the user to the object.

A method and apparatus for improving visual acuity when providing a visual image from a “high” resolution input device to a “low” resolution output device. The described invention is of particular use when the output device is an array of electrodes as part of a retinal prosthesis used to restore vision to a visually-impaired patient. In that various limitations may, within the foreseeable future, limit the density of such an electrode array (and thus the resolution of the output image), the present invention teaches techniques to assign processed pixel subsets of a higher resolution image to a single electrode. By varying the pixel subsets, e.g., by jittering, and / or altering the processing criteria, the perceived visual acuity may be further improved. Alternatively and additionally, such processing may be further extended to drive neighboring electrodes in combination to thus stimulate virtual electrode sites and thus further enhance visual acuity.

Aspects of the present disclosure relate aids for the visually impaired.

The invention discloses a visual question and answer fusion enhancement method based on multi-modal fusion. The method comprises the following steps of 1, constructing a time sequence model by utilizing a GRU structure, obtaining feature representation learning of a problem, and utilizing output which is extracted from Faster R-CNN and is based on an attention model from bottom to top as the feature representation; 2, performing multi-modal reasoning based on an attention model Transformer, and introducing the attention model for performing multi-modal fusion on a picture-problem-answer tripleset, and establishing an inference relation; and 3, providing different reasoning processes and result outputs for different implicit relationships, and performing label distribution regression learning according to the result outputs to determine answers. According to the method, answers are obtained based on specific pictures and questions and directly applied to applications serving the blind,the blind or visually impaired people can be helped to better perceive the surrounding environment, the method is also applied to a picture retrieval system, and the accuracy and diversity of pictureretrieval are improved.

A handheld electronic device having a tactile pin array thereon is provided for assisting those with vision impairments. The device comprises a set of cameras that can capture a forward image, whereby the image is processed and used to output a three dimensional representation of the image on the tactile pin array. This allows one to recognize objects and obstacles in the area in front of the device, while the pin array may also be deployed as an adaptive braille reader. A specific pin assembly is contemplated using a micro stepper motor, while the overall system provides several functions for visually impaired users, including navigation capabilities, facial recognition, connection to wireless networks, and various input / output means.

An apparatus for remapping an existing keyboard on a portable electronic device for use by visually impaired users. The apparatus includes an overlay for an existing keyboard of the portable electronic device. The overlay may be configured to provide one or more Braille keypads located above input keys on an existing keyboard of the device such that when a key in the Braille keypad sections is pressed, the pressed key contacts and presses one or more input keys located below the pressed Braille key. Remapping software or hardware is included for remapping the depressed keys to a corresponding alpha-numeric character on the device.

An interactive computer for selecting color contact lenses and eyeglass or sunglass frames having a touch screen display, a digital camera, and streaming video technology. The computer takes a picture of the user and displays it on the monitor. The user can then select contact lenses of different colors to try on. Similarly, the user can put on different eyeglass or sunglass frames and take pictures to be displayed on the monitor. In this way, the user can view his or her face wearing a series of different color contacts or eyeglass / sunglass frames to determine which color or style they prefer. Furthermore, the user can view his selections while having the benefit of wearing his prescription contact lenses or eyeglass so that his perception of his selections is not visually impaired.

A mobile lottery terminal is disclosed. The mobile lottery terminal includes a processor. The mobile lottery terminal may include a Braille keypad in communication with the processor. The mobile lottery terminal may also include a customer information input device in communication with the processor and operable to input information indicative of a customer-selected lottery number. A system incorporating mobile lottery terminals and method of vending lottery tickets using mobile lottery terminals is also disclosed.

An audible distance measurer object-face discriminator cognition stimulant system device housed in a handheld shaft, walking stick, belt attachment, or portable housing. The system device will capture, detect, merge, convert, process, compute and / or synthesize signals, measurements, images, objects-faces, colors, and shapes to output assistive phrases and measurements in electronic voice, to inform and make the user knowledgeable of objects and aware of surroundings and environment directly in path of movement-direction pointed, comprising in combination strategically positioned signal receivers, transmitters or satellite, embedded distance measurer sensor, digital video camera, cellular phone, radio, electronic travel aid (ETA), electronic orientation aid (EOA), position locator device (PLD), embedded restroom facility locator sensor, and embedded vehicle presence alert system (VPAS) sensor, which will generally aid sighted and visually impaired students, teachers and students of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, and more particularly, the elderly, and visually impaired military war veterans in a Right to Personal Privacy, while simultaneously providing sighted and blind-visually impaired children with an educational toy and interactive game.

The invention relates to a wearable barrier avoiding apparatus and barrier avoiding method based on a binocular camera and a millimeter-wave radar, belongs to the field of wearable equipment, and is mainly applied to helping visually impaired people or sports equipment and the like to avoid barriers. The method comprises the following steps: step one, calibrating the binocular camera so as to satisfy a basic condition for obtaining a depth image; step two, performing data acquisition respectively by use of the millimeter-wave radar and the binocular camera; step three, respectively processing the data acquired by the millimeter-wave radar and the binocular camera to obtain such information as distances between the barriers and pedestrians or equipment, speeds, directions and the like; and step four, integrating data processing results of the millimeter-wave radar and the binocular camera, and giving a result after the two devices verify each other. According to the invention, the information of the millimeter-wave radar and the binocular camera is integrated, the problems of unreliable measurement result of a single device and the like can be solved, the measurement precision and reliability are improved, and the apparatus and the method can help the visually impaired people or the sports equipment to avoid the existing barriers.