422 results about "Visually impaired" patented technology

A method for providing information to generate distinguishing voices for text content attributable to different authors includes receiving a plurality of text sections each attributable to one of a plurality of authors; identifying which author authored each text section; assigning a unique voice tag id to each author; associating a distinct set of descriptive metadata with each unique voice tag id; and generating a set of speech information for each text section. The set of speech information generated for each text section is based upon the distinct set of descriptive metadata associated with the unique voice tag id assigned to the corresponding author of the text section. The set of speech information generated for each text section is configured to be used by a speech synthesizer to translate the text section into speech in a distinguishing computer-generated voice for the author of the text section.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Method and system for monitoring present location and/or present status of a target inventory item, where the inventory items are located on one or more inventory shelves or other inventory receptacles that communicate with an inventory base station through use of responders such as RFIDs. A user operates a hand held interrogation and display (IAD) module that communicates with, or is part of, the base station, to provide an initial inquiry. Information on location(s) of the target inventory item is also indicated visibly and/or audibly on the receptacle(s) for the user. Status information includes an assessment of operation readiness and a time, if known, that the specified inventory item or class was last removed or examined or modified. Presentation of a user access level may be required for access to the target inventory item. Another embodiment provides inventory information for a stack as a sight-impaired or hearing-impaired person passes adjacent to that stack.