Screen Pointing Position Detection for Visually Impaired Users
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visually impaired individuals face difficulty in performing operations by pointing at desired positions on a screen due to the lack of tactile feedback, making existing information processing apparatuses inaccessible.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that includes a control unit for detecting the pointing position on a screen and outputting sounds corresponding to the detected position, allowing visually impaired users to identify the location through audio cues, with rendering processing using object metadata to set a sound image position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If visual display is used for screen interaction, then visually able-bodied persons can easily perform operations by pointing, but visually impaired persons cannot perform operations due to lack of tactile feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sound as an intermediary between the visual display and the user. The position detection unit detects where the user points on the screen, and the sound output unit converts this positional information into audible feedback that describes the pointed position and surrounding content. This auditory intermediary enables visually impaired users to interact with the visual interface by providing them with information about screen content through sound rather than sight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the visual-mechanical feedback system with an acoustic feedback system. Instead of relying on visual display elements that provide tactile feedback only to those who can see, the system substitutes a sound-based feedback mechanism that is accessible to all users regardless of visual ability, thereby resolving the accessibility contradiction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sound output is added to provide auditory feedback for position detection, then accessibility for visually impaired persons is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The position detection unit serves multiple functions: it detects user pointing positions for the purpose of providing auditory feedback to visually impaired users, while simultaneously maintaining compatibility with traditional visual interaction methods. The sound output unit similarly provides descriptive feedback about screen content while working within the existing display system framework. This multi-functionality allows the system to improve accessibility without requiring completely separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing position detection capability already present in typical display devices and repurposes it to serve the additional function of providing auditory feedback. Rather than adding a completely new detection mechanism, the invention makes the existing position detection system serve dual purposes: traditional visual interaction and accessibility support through sound.
Data Source
AI summary
To enable a visually impaired person to easily perform an operation by pointing at a desired position on a screen.Processing of detecting a pointing position of a user on a screen is performed. Processing of outputting a sound corresponding to the detected pointing position is performed. For example, in the sound output processing, when the detected pointing position is in a specific region on the screen, a sound indicating that the pointing position is the specific region is output. For example, in the sound output processing, a position corresponding to the detected pointing position is set as a sound image position.