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Lip
Reading
To Text Hearing Aid Glasses The Lip Reading To Text Hearing Aid Glasses patent uses multiple technologies to convert the spoke word to text for the hearing impaired or for people in noisy environments. |
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Millions of people world wide suffer from partial or complete
hearing loss. Further, in environments with loud ambient noise, it
can be very difficult to hear what is being said, particularly if the
person speaking is at a greater distance. The Lip Reading to Text
Hearing Aid Invention converts lip movement into text. This invention
also converts the spoken word into text. The Lip Reading to Text
Hearing Aid invention will be a great benefit for millions of people
world wide. The Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention can also be coupled with other technologies, such as built in television, built in GPS, built in cellular telephone, or a built in computer. Further, the invention can be networked at a live or recorded performance, movie so that what is spoken is automatically converted into subtitles.
The primary purpose of the Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention is to convey the spoken word into text and to display this text upon the wearers visor screen. The device also has its own memory storage unit so to be able to store the text. This acts as a buffer for fast spoken words or for reading at a later time. The speed of the test appearing on the users screen, can be real time or can be controlled by the user to be slower than real time, depending upon the speed that the user feels comfortable reading at. In the case of stored text, the playback later can be speeded up. The Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention has the capability of translating from one spoken language into the text of another language. The Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention has highly directional microphones as well as a built in micro video pickup with facial and lip detection technology, so that the speakers lips are tracked. This tracking technology has the ability to automatically zoom into the detected speaking lips, so that the Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention can better interpret the lip movement into text. This ability to zoom into the speaker can also assist people with normal hearing trying to understand someone speaking at a distance, such as in a factory, on a ship, in a sports stadium or any other noisy environment. Through the Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid inventions pre programmed software algorithms, the lip read and the audio to text capability can error check and the best conversion of speech to text can be displayed using artificial intelligence and fuzzy logic. Conflicts between the audio conversion and lip reading is displayed in different colors, or shades or fonts side by side. The Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention takes the place of a conventional hearing aids by amplifying the spoken word and in cases where a persons hearing loss is limited to certain frequencies, the received audio frequency can be change to a frequency that the wearer can hear, using what is known as frequency shifting or pitch shifting technology. This will further enhance the ability of the user to both read as well as hear the amplified or pitch shifted audio.
In operation, the user wearing the Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention, faces the speaker and if the speaker is facing the user, tries to keep the speakers lips within the cross hairs, while at the same time, the automatic lip tracking software also zooms into the speakers lips and attempts to track the lips, if either the speaker or the user should move their heads in any off angle. The built in electronics then converts the audible sound to text and displays this text on the screen within the glasses, so that the user can read what the speaker is saying. At the same time, the lip reading software is converting the lip movement to text it is displayed on the screen, either next to or above or below the audio text. Further, the built in software and algorithms can compare for any differences between the audio to text versus the lip reading to text and should any differences occur, these differences can be high lighted so that the user can make the determination, what is the most accurate text. The Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention is a great leap forward by having both audio to text as well as lip reading to text that work together capabilities. If the invention only had audio to text, its use would be limited to areas where there is very little ambient sound and where the speaker is in very close proximity to the user. By having both lip reading to text as well as audio to text, the distance of the user to the speaker can be significantly father plus the ambient sounds has far less of an effect on the accuracy of the audio to text. The built in audio to text and lip reading to text comparison software and algorithms is able to present accurate text to the user, even in noisy environments or at a distance from the speaker. On the other hand, if the speaker turns away from the user and the speakers lips are not visible, the audio to text can still potentially provide text of what the speaker is saying. The incorporation of lip reading software also allows the user to potentially understand what someone is saying at a greater distance than what a normal hearing person can hear. One example of this would be sports fan reading what the coach or players are saying, from a distance. People with partial hearing loss, usually losses hearing in specific hearing ranges, rather than evenly across the general 40 HZ to 10,000 HZ hearing range. Normal speech is in the 4500 HZ to 6500 HZ range, which also happens to be the common area of partial hearing loss, thus mere amplification of the speakers voice will still not significantly allow the user to understand better. Instead, this invention may also incorporate frequency changing, also known as pitch shifting technology so that the frequencies that the person with partial hearing loss has lost most is shifted to a higher or lower frequency region. The result is that the user with partial hearing loss will now be able to hear all of what is spoken, though since the frequency is different than the original spoken word, the sound may seem distorted or squeaky, but clear and understandable, nevertheless. Frank X. Didik, final draft, December, 2013
Fig. 1
Fig. 2 Fig. 2 illustrates another angle of the Lip Reading to Text Hearing Aid invention again illustrating the major components of the invention including: A.) face and lip recognition and tracking camera, B.) audio pickup microphone, C.) Micro-processor CPU, D. Speaker which may contain an amplifier and may also be driven by pitch changing technology.
Fig. 3 shows very light cross hairs may be etched onto the glasses. These optional cross hairs assist the wearer to aim at the lips of the person speaking, so that the directional microphone can be aimed precisely and to assist the lip reading software. This is in addition to the lip tracking capability of the invention.
Fig. 4 illustrates how the invention prototype is worn and used.
Fig. 5 Fig. 5 shows how the invention is used with the optional cross hairs aimed at the speakers mouth, while the directional microphone is aimed at the lips of the speaker and the speech to text software and the lip reading to text software uses the algorithms to determine the most accurate speech to text. The built in display projects the text within the field of view of the invention wearer.
Fig. 6 Fig. 6 illustrates how the lip tracking software is able to assist in the aiming towards and zooming into the speaker and thus facilitate the voice to text software and the automatic lip reading (ALR) software in order to display in text, what is spoken. This invention has wide spread uses, but most importantly, it will greatly help the deaf and the elderly, who have diminished hearing, to understand what people are talking about around them. It is estimated that most elderly people experience some hearing loss. This invention will help them to hear or understand significantly better than without the invention and will significantly help those with partial or complete hearing loss to lead far richer and more productive lives.
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