Vision Enhancement Apparatus for Object Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current bionic eye technologies face challenges in effectively tracking and enhancing vision for individuals with partial or total blindness, particularly those with conditions like macular degeneration, as they struggle to maintain focus on specific objects within their limited field of vision due to damage or malfunction in the visual pathway from eye to brain.
Innovation Solution
A vision enhancement apparatus and method that processes high-resolution video data to automatically detect and track user-selected objects, displaying them in a reserved area of the visual field, ensuring visibility despite user or object movement, and providing enhanced image processing for improved object recognition and interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bionic eye technology uses electrode arrays to stimulate the retina, then sight can be returned to blind people, but the ability to track and maintain focus on specific objects is lost due to retinal damage or malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects and tracks objects of interest without requiring manual intervention from the user. The processor continuously monitors video data, identifies objects based on user selections or predefined criteria, and maintains their display in the user's field of view, enabling the system to serve itself in compensating for the user's visual limitations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the natural mechanical focusing mechanism of the eye with an electronic system. Instead of relying on the damaged retinal cells to naturally track objects, the system uses image processors and algorithms to detect, track, and reposition objects in the displayed video feed, substituting biological function with electronic processing
2Measurement precision
If the tracked object is displayed in the central field of view, then the user can see it clearly, but the object may move out of view when the user moves their head or the object moves in the scene
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the position of tracked objects relative to the user's field of view and automatically adjusts their display position. When an object approaches the boundary of the visible area, the system repositions it within the frame, providing continuous feedback-based adjustment to maintain object visibility despite user movement or object motion
Solution Approach 2:
The display system dynamically adapts to changing conditions by continuously tracking object positions and adjusting the video feed in real-time. The system modifies the displayed image composition based on detected object locations and user movement, creating a dynamic display that automatically responds to changing scene conditions
3Loss of information
If the user selects multiple objects to track, then more information can be provided, but the display becomes cluttered and harder to interpret
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the display into multiple regions or layers, with each tracked object assigned to a specific segment. This segmentation allows multiple objects to be displayed simultaneously in an organized manner, preventing clutter while maintaining information completeness. Each object can be displayed in its own designated area or with distinct visual characteristics
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes additional display dimensions such as different layers, transparency levels, or spatial positions within the field of view to accommodate multiple tracked objects. By distributing objects across different dimensional spaces in the display, the system can present more information without increasing apparent display complexity
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
This invention concerns the tracking of objects in video data for artificial vision; for instance for a bionic eye. More particularly, the invention concerns a vision enhancement apparatus for a vision-impaired user. In other aspects, the invention concerns a method for enhancing vision and software to perform the method. The image processor operates to process video data representing images of a scene. Automatically detect and track a user selected object, such as a face, in the images. And, automatically modify the video data, by reserving a user selected area of the displayed images for displaying the tracked object as a separate video tile within the scene. The separate video tile remains in the selected area despite movement of the camera relative to the scene, or movement of the user relative to the object or the scene.