Wearable Live Mapping for Visually Impaired Navigation Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation technologies for visually impaired individuals provide insufficiently detailed and accurate environmental representation, path generation, and guidance, leading to unsafe, uncomfortable, and delayed navigation experiences.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device with a sensory unit, processing and control unit, and feedback mechanisms that create and update a live map with object and living being data, generate navigation paths, and provide haptic and auditory cues for safe and comfortable navigation, mimicking non-visually impaired navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing navigation technologies are used, then basic navigation functionality is provided, but navigation safety and accuracy are insufficient due to inadequate environmental representation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments environmental data into multiple categories including objects, living beings, walkable areas, and conditional walkable areas. Each category is processed and represented separately in the live map, allowing for detailed and organized environmental representation that enhances navigation safety without information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-dimensional live map that goes beyond simple 2D spatial representation. It incorporates temporal dimensions (real-time updates), semantic dimensions (object classification), and hierarchical dimensions (different areas and relationships), providing comprehensive environmental information that significantly improves navigation accuracy and safety.
2Measurement precision
If existing path generation methods are used, then navigation paths are provided, but path accuracy and suitability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic path generation that continuously adapts to changing environmental conditions. The navigation manager repeatedly determines and updates navigation paths based on the current live map state, ensuring paths remain accurate and suitable even as the environment changes, while managing complexity through efficient algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the live map and environmental sensing to continuously refine path generation. The navigation manager receives feedback about obstacles, walkable areas, and environmental conditions, and adjusts paths accordingly, achieving high accuracy through iterative optimization rather than complex static planning.
3Ease of operation
If existing guidance systems are used, then navigation guidance is provided, but user comfort and responsiveness are insufficient due to delayed feedback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous guidance provision through real-time haptic and auditory feedback. The feedback manager continuously monitors user position relative to the navigation path and provides ongoing guidance cues, eliminating delays and maintaining user comfort through uninterrupted, responsive interaction throughout the navigation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces haptic feedback actuators and auditory feedback actuators as intermediaries between the navigation system and the user. These intermediaries translate complex navigation information into intuitive, comfortable sensory cues that respond instantly to user needs, enhancing ease of operation without time loss.
4Measurement precision
If detailed environmental mapping is implemented, then navigation accuracy improves, but processing requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The processing system is segmented into specialized sub-units: sensory fusion sub-unit for data integration, live map sub-unit for environmental representation, and navigation manager sub-unit for path planning. This segmentation distributes processing complexity across modular components, each handling specific tasks efficiently, thereby achieving high detection accuracy without overwhelming device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary processing of sensory data through the sensory fusion sub-unit before detailed environmental mapping. By pre-processing and filtering data in advance, the system reduces the computational burden on subsequent mapping and navigation functions, achieving accurate environmental detection with manageable processing requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
In a first aspect of the invention, it is claimed a computer-implemented method for assisting the movement of a visually impaired user by means of a wearable device 1, comprising the following steps:S1—Acquiring data from the environment of the visually impaired userS2—Fusing the acquired data, creating, repeatedly updating of a Live MapS3—Determining, repeatedly updating and storing, of at least one navigation path together with associated navigation guiding instructions for the visually impaired user to navigate from the current position of the visually impaired user to a point of interest, repeatedly selecting one preferred navigation path from the at least one navigation path, and repeatedly sending to the visually impaired user the preferred navigation path, together with associated navigation guiding instructions.