Learning and assessment aid for a severely visually impaired individual
First Claim
1. A learning aid for use by a visually impaired individual, said learning aid including:
- a housing, said having a clasp for securing said housing to an article of clothing worn by the individual;
a first motion-sensitive transducer mounted in said housing, said first motion-sensitive transducer being configured to generate rotational displacement signals representative of the rotational movement of said housing;
a data entry unit attached to said housing for allowing the individual to enter commands thereto, said data entry unit configured to generate user command signals in response to the commands entered by the individual;
a speaker mounted in said housing and a speech generator disposed in said housing that is attached to said speaker for generating audible messages through said speaker, said speech synthesizer being configured to cause the generation of audible speech in response to the receipt of speech command signals; and
a processor disposed in said housing, said processor being connected to said first motion-sensitive transducer for receiving said rotational displacement signals, to said data entry unit for receiving said command signals and to said speech generator for transmitting said speech command signals thereto, said processor being configured to;
calculate a cumulative rotational displacement of said housing from an initial position based on said rotational-displacement signals; and
, based on said command signals received from said data entry unit and said cumulative rotational displacement of said housing, generate speech command signals to said speech synthesizer so as to cause said speaker to produce audible messages regarding the displacement of said housing relative to the initial position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A learning and assessment aid (10) for helping visually impaired individuals develop desirable ambulatory motion habits. The learning aid includes a housing (14) designed to be attached to an article of clothing worn by the individual. Internal to the housing is an inertial transducer (16) that monitors the rotation of the housing and the individual. The individual enters commands to the learning aid through a keypad (20) in response to audible instructions generated over a speaker (22). To foster desirable turning motions, the learning aid informs of the extent to which the individual turns. To foster straight-line walking, the learning aid generates a message over the speaker whenever the individual rotates more than a pre-set individual-entered maximum veer.
94 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A learning aid for use by a visually impaired individual, said learning aid including:
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a housing, said having a clasp for securing said housing to an article of clothing worn by the individual; a first motion-sensitive transducer mounted in said housing, said first motion-sensitive transducer being configured to generate rotational displacement signals representative of the rotational movement of said housing; a data entry unit attached to said housing for allowing the individual to enter commands thereto, said data entry unit configured to generate user command signals in response to the commands entered by the individual; a speaker mounted in said housing and a speech generator disposed in said housing that is attached to said speaker for generating audible messages through said speaker, said speech synthesizer being configured to cause the generation of audible speech in response to the receipt of speech command signals; and a processor disposed in said housing, said processor being connected to said first motion-sensitive transducer for receiving said rotational displacement signals, to said data entry unit for receiving said command signals and to said speech generator for transmitting said speech command signals thereto, said processor being configured to;
calculate a cumulative rotational displacement of said housing from an initial position based on said rotational-displacement signals; and
, based on said command signals received from said data entry unit and said cumulative rotational displacement of said housing, generate speech command signals to said speech synthesizer so as to cause said speaker to produce audible messages regarding the displacement of said housing relative to the initial position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of training a visually impaired individual to develop desirable locomotion habits, said method including the steps of:
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fitting the individual with a housing, said housing including;
a rotational motion sensor;
a speaker for generating instructions and information; and
a data entry unit for allowing the individual to enter user commands;having the individual enter user commands regarding specific ambulatory motions through said data entry unit in response to audio instructions generated by said speaker; monitoring the rotational movement of said housing and the individual with said rotational motion sensor; generating audible information over said speaker regarding the movement of the individual in response to said monitoring of rotational movement and said user commands entered by the individual. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of assessing the locomotion habits of an individual, said method including the steps of:
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fitting the individual with a housing, said housing including;
a motion transducer for generating displacement signals representative of the displacement of said housing;
a data recorder connected to said motion transducer for receiving the displacement signals and for generating data representative of the cumulative displacement of said housing;
a display connected to said data recorder for displaying data representative of the cumulative displacement of said housing; and
a speaker;generating through said speaker an audible command instructing the individual to engage in locomotion; monitoring the displacement of the individual by having said motion transducer monitor the displacement of said housing and determining the cumulative displacement with said data recorder; terminating said monitoring of the displacement of the individual by said motion transducer; generating through said speaker a command directing the individual to cease locomotion; and presenting on said display indication of the cumulative displacement of the individual and the housing. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification