Face Mask Camera System for Lip Reading Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Face masks hinder communication with the hearing impaired by covering the lips, making it difficult for them to decipher spoken words.
Innovation Solution
A face mask system equipped with a camera that captures images of the wearer's mouth and transmits them to a computing device or mobile device for display, allowing lip movements to be visible even when the wearer's mouth is covered.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a face mask is worn to protect from harmful particulate matter, then protection from pathogens and dust is improved, but communication with the hearing impaired deteriorates because lips are covered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of the wearer's mouth and transmits these images to a remote display device. This creates a visual copy of the lip movements that can be viewed by the hearing impaired, resolving the contradiction by preserving lip reading capability while maintaining mask wear for protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a camera and electronic display as intermediary devices between the wearer and the hearing impaired person. These intermediaries transmit the visual information of lip movements electronically, allowing communication to occur despite the physical barrier of the face mask.
2Reliability
If a face mask covers the mouth to prevent spread of particulate matter, then protection from dust and pollen is improved, but ability to communicate with the hearing impaired deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The camera creates a visual copy of the mouth area that is transmitted to a remote display, allowing the hearing impaired to see lip movements without requiring the actual physical visibility of the wearer's mouth, thus maintaining communication ease while preserving protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions the visual information from the physical spatial dimension (direct line of sight to the wearer's mouth) to an electronic/digital dimension (images transmitted and displayed on a remote device), enabling communication capability to be maintained through a different dimensional pathway.
3Reliability
If a face mask is worn to protect from harmful foreign particulate matter, then protection from viruses and bacteria is improved, but observation of lip movements for the hearing impaired deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The camera captures and transmits a visual copy of the lip movements to a remote display device, allowing the hearing impaired to decipher spoken words through this electronic copy rather than direct observation, thus resolving the information loss while maintaining protective mask wear.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera and display system serve as intermediary devices that bridge the gap created by the face mask, transmitting visual information about lip movements to the hearing impaired person without requiring direct visual access to the wearer's mouth.
Data Source
AI summary
A face mask system for communicating with the hearing impaired. The system includes a face mask having an interior surface that, when worn by a wearer, faces the wearer's mouth and is spaced a distance apart from the wearer's mouth. The system also includes a camera attached to the interior surface of the face mask that is configured to capture images of the wearer's mouth, and a transceiver that is configured to transfer the images to a computing device. The computing device then displays the captured images on a display screen. Also disclosed are embodiments where the computing device is a mobile device such as a smart phone or a smart watch. Further disclosed are exemplary face masks that may be utilized with the system.