DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING ENVIRONMENTAL RECOGNITION FOR VISUALLY HANDICAPPED

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely inform a visually handicapped of distances to, movement of, etc., various objects existing everywhere in a space spreading three- dimensionally.;SOLUTION: A space in front of a user is photographed by a multiple-lens stereo camera 20 mounted on the forehead of the user. A data processor 30 receives the photographed picture, calculates the three-dimensional positions (distance picture) of the objects in the space in front of the user, identifies the objects as the ground surface or various kinds of obstacles on the basis of the distance picture and drives a tactile display device 40 which the user touches with his/her hand and a stereo headphone 50 mounted on both ears of the user by using the result of identification. The device 40 forms a recessed/ projecting picture expressing the position/height of the ground surface or obstacles by many pins 41 which are freely movable back and forth and arranged on a display surface. A stereo headphone 50 generates stereo acoustic which informs the user of the direction and the distance of the ground surface or obstacles with respect to the user.;COPYRIGHT: (C)2002,JPO