Portable Reading Device for Blind Users
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current reading devices for blind or visually impaired persons are not autonomous and require significant user assistance, limiting their mobility and effectiveness in everyday life, as they often need to manually scan objects and operate complex systems.
Innovation Solution
A portable reading device with an image capturing unit, image processing unit, and text outputting unit that captures and processes environmental text data autonomously, allowing for hands-free operation and adaptive pre-processing to recognize and read text under various conditions, using CCD or CMOS camera technology and speech or gesture control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a reading device is made portable and mobile, then mobility and everyday usability are improved, but the device requires considerable user assistance and handling
Solution Approach 1:
The reading device automatically detects and captures text in the environment without requiring manual scanning operations. The system autonomously processes images, recognizes text, and outputs readable information, eliminating the need for users to manually handle scanning devices or operate complex controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The device continuously captures and pre-processes environmental images in real-time, preparing text recognition data before user request. This allows the system to have text information ready for immediate output when needed, reducing the interaction steps required from the user.
2Measurement precision
If manual scanning of objects is required, then text detection accuracy is improved, but the operation becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical scanning with an automated image capturing system. Instead of requiring users to physically move scanners or cameras across objects, the system uses automated image capture devices (cameras, scanners) that can be positioned once and then automatically capture and process text from the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates digital copies of text through image capture and stores/processes these copies for recognition. This allows the text information to be captured once and then repeatedly accessed and processed without requiring repeated physical scanning of the original object.
3Volume of moving object
If the image capturing unit is integrated into a compact housing, then portability is improved, but the capturing area is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs adjustable or movable image capturing units that can change their position or orientation relative to the housing. This allows the capturing area to be dynamically expanded when needed while maintaining a compact form factor during storage or non-use, resolving the contradiction between compactness and capturing area.
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
Enables blind or visually impaired individuals to independently recognize and read text in everyday situations, improving mobility and usability by reducing the need for user intervention and maintaining high reading quality even under suboptimal conditions.
Implementation Method 1
an image capturing unit (6) being configured to capture an image of an environment of a blind or visually impaired person and to output image data corresponding thereto
Data Source
AI summary
A reading device for blind or visually impaired persons for recognizing and reading text passages comprises an image capturing unit being configured to capture an image of an environment of a blind or visually impaired person and to output image data corresponding thereto, an image processing unit being configured to process the image data such that text is recognized and extracted from the image data and to output text data corresponding thereto, a text outputting unit being configured to output data corresponding to the text data in a form noticeable or convertable to be noticeable by the blind or visually impaired person, and a housing comprising a first part and a second part, the first part having the image capturing unit attached thereto and the second part accommodating the image processing unit and the text outputting unit.