Bluetooth Earhook Microphone for Hearing Impaired Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hearing impaired individuals face safety concerns due to their inability to quickly detect special events, such as car horn sounds or pedestrian yell, relying solely on vision.
Innovation Solution
A Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus with a microphone module, haptic feedback module, Bluetooth communication module, storage module, and processor circuit that processes audio signals offline to identify keywords and provide haptic notifications, enhancing situational awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hearing impaired people rely solely on vision to detect special events, then they can maintain simplicity in their approach, but their safety and ability to detect special events deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a microphone apparatus, voice processing unit, and haptic feedback module that mediates between the audio environment and the hearing-impaired user. This intermediary converts audio signals into haptic notifications, enabling the user to detect special events without directly processing complex audio information themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the natural auditory mechanism (which is impaired) with a mechanical/electronic substitution system. The microphone apparatus captures audio, the voice processing unit analyzes it, and the haptic feedback module delivers tactile signals, creating an artificial sensory pathway that substitutes for the damaged hearing function.
2Speed
If real-time audio processing is implemented to detect special events, then detection speed improves, but energy consumption and processing requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring the system with specific detection parameters and voice processing rules before operation. The offline voice processing capability allows the system to prepare processing models in advance, enabling faster real-time detection without performing full complex processing during critical moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by focusing the voice processing unit on detecting only specific keywords and patterns relevant to safety-critical events, rather than analyzing the entire audio spectrum in detail. This selective approach achieves sufficient detection speed while reducing overall processing requirements and energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables real-time offline voice processing and instant haptic notifications based on detected keywords, improving the safety of hearing impaired individuals by alerting them to critical events in their environment.
Implementation Method 1
enabling a haptic feedback module of a Bluetooth earhook microphone apparatus to alert a user
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is related to a Bluetooth ear-hook microphone device, which has an earhook component and a main body, and includes a microphone module, a haptic feedback module, a Bluetooth communication module, a storage module, and a processor circuit. The processor circuit executes a notification method, which includes: obtaining at least one of the audio signals; performing offline voice processing on at least one of the audio signals; and when at least one of the audio signals includes a keyword, enabling the haptic feedback module to prompt a user of the Bluetooth earhook microphone device.