US 4,227,209 A · Sensory aid for visually handicapped people

Abstract

A sensory aid system for visually handicapped persons. The system provides a magnified image of graphical material, such as text. The system includes an image sensor which may include a lens assembly and photodiode detector array. The image sensor is coupled to a display array, with each detector array element having a one-to-one correspondence with one (or a group of) display array elements. The display array may be adjusted electronically to provide any degree of magnification simply by changing the number of elements in the array driven by the signal information. The display array elements may be red light emitting diodes (LED's). In this form, the present invention provides a magnified brightly illuminated red image of the black areas of print against a black, or dark, background, instead of the conventional text format of black print (information) on white paper (noise).

Claims24

Dependent claims

A sensory aid system for visually handicapped persons, comprising:

an image sensor including a lens assembly adapted to focus a graphic image on a plurality of detector networks, each detector network including means for converting a portion of a graphic image into an electrical signal representative of a picture element of that image, and
display means including an array of display elements wherein at least one of said display elements is coupled to a corresponding one of said detector networks wherein said image sensor further comprises a control means, said control means being operable to couple each of said drive signals to groups of one or more adjacent elements in said detector array wherein the number of display elements in said groups is selectable.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Sensory aid for visually handicapped people

Life of this patent

Sensory aid for visually handicapped people

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24