Title of the Invention

Haptic G-G Audio Navigation Device for the Visually Challenged

Field of Invention

The present invention generally relates to communication devices and more particularly to methods and apparatus for developing a communication device for assisting visually impaired users in helping them navigate in new locations and also direct them to their desired destination.

Background of the Invention

Visually impaired including blind and partially sighted users have about the same communication and navigation needs as every other normal user. Modern smartphones and mobile devices are making life easy for normal users and complimenting the fast nature of today's communication and life style.

But these mobile devices are not customized for visually impaired users. We do occasionally see some third party developers come up with applications that can be installed in a typical smartphone or a mobile device that can be used to assist blind users of the device.

But again, as much as little the options are, the user interfaces and the design never really allow blind users to use a typical smartphone for any purpose other than receiving calls or listening to GPS audio with limited or full external support.

For many visually impaired people, a cane or a stick is a close friend helping them to detect and avoid obstacles in the walking paths.

During walking with the cane going from place to place, they sense and guess directions and locations by hearing sounds surrounding, sniffing smells in the air, feeling touches on skin, counting footsteps they walk, and memorizing events in time and spaces.

However, it is difficult for them to guess where they are when surrounding environment are new or changed, or when they get lost memory of locations. The important writing method of blind people is to emboss Braille dots on paper with slate and stylus, and the result can be read by finger feeling on the other side of paper, where dots are embossed.

However, there are several problems. It takes longer time and larger space to write. Hands get tired quickly because of using force pressing stylus. The dots are not easy to read as emboss dots. It's difficult for blind persons to learn holding stylus perpendicular.

The writing is not convenient for transferring, copying, or editing. Therefore, this writing method limits communication ability of blind people. There are some electronic type-writer products are being used but they are bulky and expensive.

Accordingly, it is desirable to have a customized communication device that are tailor made for the visually impaired users, and devices that can be used either as a standalone device or as a device that can be installed as part of another conventional walking cane or sticks or can be tied on to the wrist, to assist the visually impaired user to navigate in places where they have less familiarity and aid them as they try to move their way through it.

Objective of Invention

The objective of the invention is to provide advanced communication device for visually impaired users either blind or partially sighted to provide navigation information via audible messages and haptic feedback to localize and customize their mobility according to the demands of the location. The invention further has features to facilitate communication with other external devices in remote locations, monitor real-time GPS data for transmission to a remote location in the form of an SMS, emergency keys to seek immediate help and an audio interaction feature to listen to navigation and support information, for the visually impaired users.

Statement of Invention

1. A communication device for assisting visually impaired user, comprising:

• Navigation module that provide visually impaired navigation information via audible messages and haptic feedback, helping the blind user to localize wherever they are, familiar or new location, the location or place they desire to go and in general to improve their mobility

• User interface for the visually impaired user to enter notes and control the operation of the handheld device using Braille capacitive touch keypad besides the option to send a Short Message Service (SMS) by keying in the text and the phone number

• An emergency key, significantly different in size dimension which on impact, triggers an alarm and simultaneously sends an Short Message Service (SMS) including the user information and the location, to pre-set users or a default number in a remote helpdesk, seeking assistance

• An internal memory for the visually impaired user to store key user information in audio and/or text format for retrieval when necessary either by the user or an external source of help

• Audio-interaction module, wherein the visually impaired user can anytime use to communication device to listen the audio for knowing information such as time, calendar, object colour, alarm, obstacle distance, navigation direction, ambient light and temperature condition

2. The communication device, according to claim 1, can be a standalone handheld device or can be implemented as part of conventional walking canes or can be tied on to the wrist

3. The navigation module, according to claim 1 comprises of a plurality of electronic sensors, touch sensors and microcontroller technology

4. The navigation information in the navigation module, according to claim 3, is collected using Global Positioning system via Natural MP3 quality voice interface via head phone

5. The communication module, according to claim 1, further comprising of a SONAR, which is capable of measuring obstacle up to a distance of 3 meters

Description of Drawings

Figure 1 Illustrates of GPS Device Working Principle in DAD. Figure 2 shows each vehicles are sharing their GPS data points to the adjacent vehicles within the range of WI-FI connectivity of 3 meters to 30 meters approximately.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the invention in more detail, in Fig. 1 there is shown the communication device and its components as shown in the first drawing.

Microcontrollei

Figure 1 illustrates a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M3 (LPC1000), controls all operations in the device. The LPC1700 series are Cortex-M3 based MCUs with solid mid-range performance and power efficiency and able to support multiple high-bandwidth data streams running simultaneously from peripherals such as Ethernet, USB (host or device), CAN, and LCD display.

Global positioning system, A GPS receiver listens to multiple satellites and solves equations to determine the exact position of the receiver and its deviation from true time. At a minimum, four satellites must be in view of the receiver in order to compute four unknown quantities (three position coordinates and clock deviation from satellite time).

Magnetometer & Accelerometer: digital compass, used as direction sensor

Capacitive Touch Sensor: allow user to enter input, control functions and operations

Proximity sensor: ultrasonic SONAR, obstacle detection and pothole detection

Color Sensor: to distinguish color of objects like fruits and vegetables Light/Temp sensors: provide ambient conditions

Audio codec: decode audio signal and outputs voice and music in headphone

Memory SD card: hold system configurations, audio library, GPS location libraries, and maps

Light/buzzer: provides visual alarm and audible alarm and emergency signals for others

Vibrator: provides haptic feedback for obstacle detected

Battery: store power and provide power for the cane to operate Power management and regulator: manage and regulate voltage supply to all electronic circuit.

An analog-to-digital converter (abbreviated ADC, A/D or A to D) is an electronic integrated circuit, which converts continuous signals to discrete digital numbers. The reverse operation is performed by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Successive-Approximation ADC

A successive-approximation ADC uses a comparator to reject ranges of voltages, eventually settling on a final voltage range. Successive approximation works by constantly comparing the input voltage to the output of an internal digital to analog converter (DAC, fed by the current value of the approximation) until the best approximation is achieved. At each step in this process, a binary value of the approximation is stored in a successive approximation register (SAR).

Clearing the GO/DONE bit during a conversion will abort the current conversion. The A/D Result register pair will NOT be updated with the partially completed A/D conversion sample. That is, the ADRESH: ADRESL registers will continue to contain the value of the last completed conversion.

In this type of keyboard, pressing the key changes the capacitance of a pattern of capacitor pads. Unlike "dome switch" keyboards, the pattern consists of two D-shaped capacitor pads for each switch, printed on a printed circuit board (PC board) and covered by a thin, insulating film of solder mask which plays the role of a dielectric. The mechanism of capacitive switches is very simple, compared to mechanical ones. Its movable part is ended with a flat foam element (of dimensions near to a tablet of Aspirin) finished with aluminium foil below. The opposite side of the switch is a PC board with the capacitor pads.

When a key is pressed, the foil tightly clings to the surface of the PC board, forming a daisy chain of two capacitors between contact pads and itself separated with thin solder mask, and thus "shorting" the contact pads with an easily detectable drop of capacitive reactance between them. Usually this permits a pulse or pulse train to be sensed.


How does Sonar Works:

Any listening system that consist of

(1) a hydrophone

(2) an electronic receiver

(3) a bearing indicator

(4) a speaker or headphones.

Navigation and Ranging Issues

The Doppler principle applicable to all wave motion was developed by the Austrian physicist, Christian Doppler (1803-1853).

Frequency of sound appears to increase when an observer moves toward a source and appears to decrease when he moves away from it. Similarly, if the source is moving toward the observer, the frequency is higher; if the source is moving away from the observer, it is lower.

Depth is determined by dividing travel time of sound by 2 and then multiplying by 1500 mps

Advantages of Solution

• We have integrated the Capacitive Touch keypad which eliminates finger pain while using older Braille keys and allows blind people to enter notes and control device operation easily.

• Navigation information has been collected using Global Positioning system via Natural MP3 quality voice interface via head phone.

• In addition, the device can be able to provide user information needed, in audio format, including time, calendar, object color, alarm, obstacle distance, navigation direction, ambient light and temperature condition.

• The device has a finger messaging module based on DC Servo Motor that rotates an actuator for direction recognition.

• We have Integrated the SONAR which is capable of measuring obstacle upto the distance 3m

• We have embedded a 24-bit Color Sensor with the kit which is capable of recognizing multitude of colored objects The offering comfort and business applications to driver and passengers

1. We claim a communication device for assisting visually impaired user, comprising:

• Navigation module that provide visually impaired navigation information via audible messages and haptic feedback, helping the blind user to localize wherever they are, familiar or new location, the location or place they desire to go and in general to improve their mobility

• User interface for the visually impaired user to enter notes and control the operation of the handheld device using Braille capacitive touch keypad besides the option to send a Short Message Service (SMS) by keying in the text and the phone number

• An emergency key, significantly different in size dimension which on impact, triggers an alarm and simultaneously sends an Short Message Service (SMS) including the user information and the location, to pre-set users or a default number in a remote helpdesk, seeking assistance

• An internal memory for the visually impaired user to store key user information in audio and/or text format for retrieval when necessary either by the user or an external source of help

• Audio-interaction module, wherein the visually impaired user can anytime use to communication device to listen the audio for knowing information such as time, calendar, object colour, alarm, obstacle distance, navigation direction, ambient light and temperature condition

2. The communication device, according to claim 1, can be a standalone handheld device or can be implemented as part of conventional walking canes or can be tied on to the wrist

3. The navigation module, according to claim 1 comprises of a plurality of electronic sensors, touch sensors and microcontroller technology

4. The navigation information in the navigation module, according to claim 3, is collected using Global Positioning system via Natural MP3 quality voice interface via head phone

5. The communication module, according to claim 1, further comprising of a SONAR, which is capable of measuring obstacle up to a distance of 3 meters