GB2503931A - Reading device - Google Patents
Reading device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2503931A GB2503931A GB201212508A GB201212508A GB2503931A GB 2503931 A GB2503931 A GB 2503931A GB 201212508 A GB201212508 A GB 201212508A GB 201212508 A GB201212508 A GB 201212508A GB 2503931 A GB2503931 A GB 2503931A
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- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- housing
- image capturing
- unit
- capturing unit
- reading device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G09—EDUCATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DISPLAY; ADVERTISING; SEALS
- G09B—EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS
- G09B21/00—Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute
- G09B21/001—Teaching or communicating with blind persons
- G09B21/006—Teaching or communicating with blind persons using audible presentation of the information
Abstract
A reading device (1) configured to recognise and communicate text. The device comprises an image capturing unit (5) for capturing an image and outputting image data to an image processing unit; and a text communicating unit configured to receive text data extracted from the image data by the image processing unit and to output the text data in a form that is perceptible to a visually impaired person. The device includes a housing (3), wherein the text communicating unit is contained within the housing and the image capturing unit (5) is detachably connectable to the housing (3)
Description
READING DEVICE
Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a reading device for recognising and communicating S text passages to a visually impaired person, including those who are blind.
Background
A visually impaired person is one who suffers from a significant limitation in visual capability, most often as a result of trauma, disease or degenerative conditions.
io conventional techniques for treating visual defects (surgery, medication, optical correction with glasses etc) are ineffective in improving a visually impaired person's sight. therefore, additional tools and support are required for helping the visually impaired to gather information from written material. The term "visually impaired' includes, but is not limited to, those who are blind.
Reading devices for the visually impaired are known. Typically, these devices include an imaging unit or camera that is arranged to capture images of a person's environment, together with a processing module that can extract text data from the image and output the text in a form perceptible to the person, for example, in the form of an audio signal.
In practice1 such reading devices usually comprise a box-like unit that houses the various components used to process and reformat the image data. The camera may be affixed to the outside of the housing, allowing it to capture images of documents placed alongside the housing. However, as a result of positioning the camera in this way, the unit as a whole becomes bulky and difficult to transport or to store when not in use -EP-A-2065871 proposes a solution to this problem, by separating the housing into first and second parts, with the image capturing unit being attached to the first part of the housing. The first part is movable from an operating position in which it is spaced apart from the second part of the housing to a non-operating position in which it abuts against the second part of the housing, thereby accommodating the image capturing unit within the body of the housing. Unfortunately, the requirement for making these parts of the housing movable with respect to one another makes the device quite complex to manufacture.
It foUows that there is a need to provide a reading device for the blind or visually impaired that is easy to transport and store, and which is still simple to manufacture and assemble.
Summary of the invention
According to the present invention, there is provided a reading device configured to recognise and communicate text! the device comprising: an image capturing unit for capturing an image and outputting image data to an image processing unit; and a text communicating unit configured to receive text data extracted from the image data by the image processing unit and to output the text data in a form that is perceptible to a visually impaired person; the device further comprising a housing, wherein the text communicating unit is contained within the housing and the image capturing unit is detachably connectable to the housing.
The term "detachably connectable" can be understood as follows: The body of the image capturing unit and the housing include respective mating portions that allow the image capturing unit to engage with and stay secured to the housing, without the need for additional mechanical fasteners such as screws. The mating portions are designed such that, once the image capturing unit is secured to the housing, the image capturing unit can still be pulled apart by hand without the need for addEtional tools. In this way, the image capturing unit and housing are configured to engage reversibly with one another, as akin to a plug and socket for example, without the need for separate mechanical fasteners.
For example, the image capturing unit and housing may comprise a snap-fit connection. Alternatively, the image capturing unit and housing may have a complementary arrangement of grooves and projections that allow the two to engage and stay connected, whilst still allowing them to be pulled apart by hand. Alternatively, the mating portions may include magnetic components for securing the image capturing unit to the housing.
Since the image capturing unit is detachably connectable to the housing, the image capturing unit may be removed from the device when it is not being used, for example during transport, or when storing the device at home. As a result, the device is easy to package and store when not in use.
The device may have a first configuration in which the image capturing unit is connected to the housing, and a second configuration in which the image capturing unit is wholly disconnected from housing.
The image capturing unit and the housing may have respective electrical connectors for establishing an electrical connection between the image capturing unit and the internal components of the housing when the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing. The electrical connectors may be arranged to connect with one another as the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing, and to disconnect from one another as the image capturing unit disengages from the housing. For example, the electrical connectors may be comprised within the respective mating portions of the housing and image capturing unit.
The electrical connection may be used to transmit data and I or electrical power between the image capturing unit and the internal components of the housing.
Ln conventional devices, an electrica[ connection is usually established between the internal components of the housing and the image capturing unit by plugging a wire or lead from the housing into the image capturing unit. Thus, in addition to connecting the image capturing unit to the housing, a user also needs to perform a separate act of plugging a wire from the image capturing unit into a socket of the housing, or vice versa. The act of having to plug the wire into the socket places a burden on the user, particularly if the user is visually impaired and therefore unable to easily determine the location of the socket.
In contrast! by including the electrical connectors as part of the mating portions of the housing and the image capturing unit, the electrical connectors can be made to connect with one another as the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing. The user need only, therefore, secure the image capturing to the housing in order to ensure that an electrical connection is established between them. In this way, the burden on the user can be reduced when setting up the device for use.
The image processing unit may itself be included as part of the reading device. For example, the image processing unit may be included within the housing. In this example, the electrical connectors of the housing and the image capturing unit may be used to establish a USB connection between the image processing unit and the image capturing unit when the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing.
In other embodiments, the device may include a communication unit configured to transmit image data to an image processing unit located remote from the reading device, For example, the image processing unit may comprise a remote server providing an optical character recognition (OCR) service, and the image capturing unit may communicate with the image processing unit over a wired or wireless network connection. The text communicating unit may receive text data from the image processing unit over the same network. In this instance, the electrical connectors of the housing and the image capturing unit may be used to establish an electrical connection between the camera unit and the communication unit used to transmit the data to the image processing unit.
The image capturing unit may comprise an arm that is connectable to the housing, and a camera unit that is connected to the arm. The camera unit may be pivotably connected to the arm. By pivoting, the camera unit may be movable between an operating position in which the camera unit extends away from the arm to a non-operating position in which it is held flush against the arm. By holding the camera unit flush against the arm, it may be possible to protect the camera when it is not in use.
The camera unit may comprise a solid state imaging device, for example, a CCD or CMOS device.
The text communicating unit may be operable to output text data in any form that is perceptible to a visually impaired person. For example, the text communicating unit may comprise a soundcard for generating speech from the text data provided by the image processing unit. In other embodiments, the sound card may not be provided as part of the reading device, but may be included within the image processing unit instead. The text communicating unit may comprise one or more speakers configured to output the text data as an audio signal.
In another embodiment, the text communicating unit may be configured to output the text data in a format that a blind or visually impaired person can read by touch. For example, the text communicating unit may comprise a printing device that outputs Braille corresponding to the text extracted from the image data.
In another embodiment1 the text communicating unit may comprise a computer module that is operable to output secondary image data comprising a magnified version of the text present in the original image data. The reading device may include a screen for displaying the secondary image data.
Brief descriøtion of the drawings Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 shows the reading device of Figure 1, in a configuration in which the image capturing unit is detached from the housing; Figure 3 shows a view of an image capturing unit for use in a reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 shows a view of an image capturing unit for use in a reading device according to art embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 shows a view of an image capturing unit for use in a reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 shows a view of an image capturing unit for use in a reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 7 shows the reading device of Figure 1, with the image capturing unit in a non-operating position.
Detailed description
Figure 1 shows an example of a reading device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The reading device 1 comprises a housing 3 and an image capturing unit 5 that is detachably connected to the housing. As discussed below, the image capturing unit and housing have respective mating portions that allow the body of the image capturing unit to reversibly engage with the housing.
The image capturing unit 5 comprises a first arm 7 that extends upwards from the housing and a camera unit that is connected to the first arm. In this example, the camera unit comprises a second arm 9, which is pivotably coupled to the upper end of the first arm (here; the term "upper end" refers to the orientation of the image capturing unit during operation of the device). A camera in the form of a CMOS image sensor is mounted on the underside of the second arm. With the second arm rotated to the position shown in Figure 1 the camera is positioned facing towards the same surface on which the housing is resting. The camera is thereby able to capture an image of a document 11 which is placed alongside the housing.
Contained within the housing 3 is an image processing unit and a text communicating unit. The housing may also include a battery for powering the various internal components, and possibly the image capturing unit too. In other embodiments, the reading device may be mains powered either as an alternative to, or in addition to the power supplied by the battery. Conveniently the device is connected to mains power using a cable and an electrical plug.
In use, the camera captures images of the document and outputs image data that is sent to the processing unit within the housing. The image processing unit is configured to recognise and extract text contained within the image data, and to output corresponding text data to the text communicating unit. The text communicating unit in turn presents this text data to the user in a format that can readily be perceived by a visually impaired person (in other words, in a format that enables the user to comprehend the meaning of the text present in the original image). In the example shown in Figure 1, the text communicating unit comprises a speaker 13 which is used to output the text data in the form of an audio signal.
Controls 15 are provided on the outside of the housing for controlling the parameters of the camera and /01 speaker output. The controls may be used, for example, for instructing the device to perform an image capture operation, controlling the volume and for speed of speech output through the speakers, and for navigating through a document currently being imaged.
The steps used to process the image data and to extract the text data from it are known in the art and will not be discussed in detail here. In brief, the image processing unit may use known OCR algorithms to identify text within the image data and to extract words and sentences from the received image. Once the text communicating unit has received the text data from the image processing unit, a voice synthesiser or TTS (text-to-speech) engine is used to convert the text to a spoken word for output through the speakers.
Figure 2 shows an example configuration in which the image capturing unit is detached from the housing. Here, the mating portions of the housing and the image capturing unit can be seen more easily: specifically, in this example, the image capturing unit has a lower end 19 that is received in a recessed portion 17 in the roof of the housing. The waifs of the recess help to stabilise the image capturing unit when it is connected to the housing.
In order to transfer data between the imaging capturing unit and the image processing unit inside the housing, the lower end 19 of the image capturing unit has an electrical connector at its base that engages with a complementary connector 20 at the base of the recessed portion 17 of the housing (only the latter connector is shown in Figure 2).
In this example, the image capturing unit includes an 8-pin male connector, whilst the housing includes a corresponding female connector. The multi-pin arrangement allows for both data and power transmission between the housing and the image capturing unit. For example, certain pins may be used to provide power from the main unit to the image capturing unit, whilst standard USB data is transmitted through the others.
Figure 3 shows the image capturing unit in more detail. Here, the lens 21 of the CMOS sensor mounted on the underside of the second arm is clearly visible. Also shown in this figure is the recessed portion 17 that mates with the lower end 19 of the image capturing unit. In this example, the recessed portion 17 comprises a discrete element that is secured to the rest of the housing by, for example, screws or glue. In other embodiments, the recessed portion may be formed integrally with the rest of the housing.
As shown in Figure 3, the lower end 19 of the image capturing unit has a male electrical connector 23 that is used to electrically couple the camera to the other components of the reader. With reference to Figure 4, the male electrical connector 23 connects to the female connector 20 at the base of the recessed portion 17, as the image capturing unit is received within the recessed portion.
In addition to the electrical connectors, the mating portions 17, 19 of the image capturing unit and the housing comprise respective members that allow the body of the image capturing unit to reversibly engage with the housing. In this example, the image capturing unit 5 includes a steel plate 25 at its base, which couples magnetically to a pair of magnets 27a, 27b located on the underside of the recessed portion 17. The recessed portion itself is formed from a nonmagnetic material, such as aluminium.
The steel base plate 25 includes an aperture at its centre, which allows the pins of the male electrical connector 23 to project through towards the housing. When the image capturing unit is received within the recessed portion 17, the attractive force between the steel base plate 25 and the magnets 27a, 27b serves to anchor the image capturing unit in position. At the same time, an electrical connection is established between the male 23 and female 20 electrical connectors. During transport or when storing the device, the image capturing unit can be easily pulled apart by applying a force to the image capturing unit in a direction away from The housing, thereby overcoming the magnetic attraction between the image capturing unit and the housing.
Referring again to Figure 3, the recessed portion 17 includes a further electrical connector 29 on its underside, which is used to connect to the internal components in the housing. In this way, an electrical connection can be established between the image capturing unit and the internal components of the housing when the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing.
Figures 5 and 6 show the image capturing unit when received within the recessed portion 17. As shown in Figure 6, when the camera is not in use, the second arm of the image capturing unit may be rotated towards the first arm (the direction of rotation is indicated by the arrow marked A in Figure 5). Rotating the second arm in this way brings the two arms into abutment with one another, with the camera concealed between them. The camera is thereby protected from damage when not in use. As shown in Figure 7, the second arm can be rotated towards the first arm irrespective of whether the image capturing unit is connected to the housing.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with the exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art when given this disclosure. In addition, whilst the above embodiments relate to the specific case in which a user is visually impaired, the reading device of the present invention may also provide advantages to others who have difficulty reading, for exampLe, those who are dyslexic, and who may benefit from having text in a document communicated to them in a manner which is easily understood.
Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments of the invention set out above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims (13)
- CLAIMS: 1. A reading device configured to recognise and communicate text, the device comprising: an image capturing unil for capturing an image and outputting image data to an image processing unit; and a text communicating unit configured to receive text data extracted from the image data by the image processing unit and to output the text data in a form that is perceptible to a visually impaired person, the device further comprising a housing, wherein the text communicating unit is contained within the housing and the image capturing unit is detachably connectable to the housing.
- 2. A reading device according to claim 1. wherein the image capturing unit and housing have respective mating portions that allow the body of the image capturing unit to reversibly engage with the housing.
- 3. A reading device according to claim 2, wherein the mating portions comprise respective electrical connectors for establishing an electrical connection between the image capturing unit and the housing, the electrical connectors being arranged to connect with one another as the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing and to disconnect from one another as the image capturing unit disengages from the housing.
- 4. A reading device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein one of the mating portions of the housing and image capturing unit comprises a recessed portion for receiving the mating portion of the other of the image capturing unit and housing.
- 5. A reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image processing unit is located inside the housing.
- 6. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device has a first configuration in which the image capturing unit is connected to the housing, and a second configuration in which the image capturing unit is wholly disconnected from housing.
- 7. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the image capturing unit comprises an arm that is connectable to the housing and a camera unit that is connected to the arm.
- 8. A reading device according to claim 7, wherein the camera unit is pivotably connected to the arm.
- 9. A reading device according to claim 8, wherein the camera unit is movable between an operating position in which the camera unit extends away from the arm to a non-operating position in which the camera unit is held flush against the arm.
- 10. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the camera unit comprises a CCD or CMOS device.
- 11. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing and the image capturing unit include magnetic elements for coupling the image capturing unit magnetically to the housing.
- 12. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text communicating unit is configured to output the text data as an audio signal or in a format that a blind person can read by touch.
- 13. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text communicating unit comprises a computer module that is operable to output secondary image data comprising a magnified version of the text present in the original image data.Amendments to the claims have hen filed as follows -CLAIMS: - 1. A reading device configured to recognise and communicate text, the device comprising: an image capturing unit for capturing an image and outputting image data to an image processing unit; and a text communicating unit configured to receive text data extracted from the -image data by th! image processing unit and to output the text data in a form that is perceptible to a visually impaired person, -the device further comprising a housing, wherein the text communicating unit is contained within the housing and the image capturing unit is detachably connectable to the housing; wherein the image capturing unit and housing have respective mating portions that allow the body of the image capturing unit to reversibly engage with the housing, -the mating portions comprising respective electrical connectors for establishing an electrical connection between the image capturing unit and the housing, wherein the electrical connectors are arranged to connect with one another as the body of the image capturing unit is brought into engagement with the housing and to disconnect from one another as the body of the image capturing unit disengages -from the housing. ---- 2. A reading device according to claim 1, wherein one of the mating portions of the -housing and image capturing unit comprises a recessed portion for receiving the mating portion of the other of the image capturing unit and housing.3. A reading device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the image processing unit is located inside e housing.*.....S4. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device has a first configuration in which the image capturing unit is connected to the housing, and a second configuration in which the image capturing unit is wholly disconnected from housing.S55*555 a S 5. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the image capturing unit comprises an arm that is connectable to the housing and a camera unit that is connected to the arm.6. A reading device according to claim 5, wherein the camera unit is pivotably connected to the arm.7. A reading device according to claim 6, wherein the camera unit is movable between an operating position in which the camera unit extends away from the arm to a non-operating position in which the camera unit is held flush against the arm.8. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the camera unit comprises a CCD or CMOS device.9. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing and the image capturing unit include magnetic elements for coupling the image capturing unit magnetically to the housing.10. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text communicating unit is configured to output the text data as an audio signal or in a format that a blind person can read by touch 11. A reading device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the text communicating unit comprises a computer module that is operable to output secondary image data comprising a magnified version of the text present in the original image data. S. *** . . . * SSS S. *ø * . S * S* S.555 * SS*Ss**s * *
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201212508A GB2503931B (en) | 2012-07-13 | 2012-07-13 | Reading device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201212508A GB2503931B (en) | 2012-07-13 | 2012-07-13 | Reading device |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB201212508D0 GB201212508D0 (en) | 2012-08-29 |
| GB2503931A true GB2503931A (en) | 2014-01-15 |
| GB2503931B GB2503931B (en) | 2014-09-10 |
Family
ID=46799589
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB201212508A Active GB2503931B (en) | 2012-07-13 | 2012-07-13 | Reading device |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2503931B (en) |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6115482A (en) * | 1996-02-13 | 2000-09-05 | Ascent Technology, Inc. | Voice-output reading system with gesture-based navigation |
| US20110188783A1 (en) * | 2008-07-10 | 2011-08-04 | Universita' Degli Studi Di Brescia | Aiding Device for Reading a Printed Text |
-
2012
- 2012-07-13 GB GB201212508A patent/GB2503931B/en active Active
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6115482A (en) * | 1996-02-13 | 2000-09-05 | Ascent Technology, Inc. | Voice-output reading system with gesture-based navigation |
| US20110188783A1 (en) * | 2008-07-10 | 2011-08-04 | Universita' Degli Studi Di Brescia | Aiding Device for Reading a Printed Text |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
| Title |
|---|
| VisionAid Technologies, "ReadEasy+" [online], published February 2011. Available from http://www.visionaid.co.uk/downloads/visionaid-international/ReadEasy+.pdf. [Accessed 27 October 2012] * |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2503931B (en) | 2014-09-10 |
| GB201212508D0 (en) | 2012-08-29 |
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