System for presenting visual items
OwnerDavid Charles Dewhurstinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One embodiment of a vision substitution system for presenting audio and/or tactile representations of visual items (21) includes processing each visual item (25) into the form of a group of stationary property-presenting energetic effects (for example speech sounds 29), and outputting said effects to audio and/or tactile displays (37 & 35). Said visual items may include: identified entities such as people's faces (23), distributions of color categories or other visual properties (21), areas of movement, and data that can be presented visually; optionally providing facilities for identifying and presenting prominent colors (and other properties) and their distribution, and facilities for blind people to create and access audiotactile images. Other embodiments are described and shown.
Claims20
A method of presenting visual items comprising:
- (a) acquiring at least one visual item, wherein each of said visual items has content at a plurality of locations;
- (b) first processing each of said visual items into the form of a group of substantially apparently-stationary stereophonic effects, each of said groups of effects comprising a plurality of substantially apparently-stationary stereophonic sounds,
- wherein each of said stereophonic sounds of said group presents the same at least one property that relates to said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents, and
- wherein the pitch and horizontal stereophonic positioning of each of said stereophonic sounds of said group relate to the vertical and horizontal locations respectively of at least one of said plurality of locations of said content of said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents, whereby each of said property-presenting stereophonic sounds has an apparent location that relates to said at least one location of said content of said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents;
- (c) providing at least one audio display means;
- (d) outputting at least one of said groups of stereophonic effects to at least one of said audio display means;
- whereby the properties, locations, and extents of said visual items can be rapidly perceived via non-visual effects.
Apparatus for presenting visual items comprising:
- (a) acquiring means for acquiring at least one visual item, wherein each of said visual items has content at a plurality of locations;
- (b) first processing means for processing each of said visual items into the form of a group of substantially apparently-stationary stereophonic effects, each of said groups of effects comprising a plurality of substantially apparently-stationary stereophonic sounds,
- wherein each of said stereophonic sounds of said group presents the same at least one property that relates to said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents, and
- wherein the pitch and horizontal stereophonic positioning of each of said stereophonic sounds of said group relate to the vertical and horizontal locations respectively of at least one of said plurality of locations of said content of said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents, whereby each of said property-presenting stereophonic sounds has an apparent location that relates to said at least one location of said content of said visual item that said stereophonic sound presents;
- (c) at least one audio display;
- (d) outputting means for outputting at least one of said groups of stereophonic effects to at least one of said audio displays;
- whereby the properties, locations, and extents of said visual items can be rapidly perceived via non-visual effects.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.