• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

Visually impaired people have very difficulty using retail stores due to the absence of braille information on products and any other support system. In this paper, we propose a basic algorithm for a system that recognizes products in retail stores and explains them as a voice. First, the deep learning model detects hand objects and product objects in the input image. Then, it finds a product object that most overlapping hand object by comparing the coordinate information of each detected object. We determine that this is a product selected by the user, and the system read the nutritional information of the product as Text-To-Speech. As a result of the evaluation, we confirmed a high performance of the learning model. The proposed algorithm can be actively used to build a system that supports the use of retail stores for the visually impaired.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.202-208
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• 2016

The scope of activities of the visually impaired is increasing. But they are not easy to visit the destination safely because the building was complicated and larger than ever. There is a guide system for visually impaired such as GPS and Audio alerts, Braille guide block, Acoustic signaller, etc. But they are not suitable for indoor because most of them are the outdoor guide system. Therefore, in this paper, I propose a system that provides guidance information to the visually impaired using Voice Technology, TTS (Text to Speech) and Haptic Technology, Beacon based on the wireless sensor networks. It informed the visually impaired of guidance information about destination such as distance, height, and obstacle to the destination using the generalized smart phone. The user could be received guide info about searches for the optimal route to the destination using the TTS technology and Haptic technology in test result of the proposed system.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.55-64
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• 2014

This study measured formant bandwidths of profound hearing impaired children and examined the characteristics of their articulation. For this study, 10 cochlear implanted children(CI), 10 hearing aid children(HA) and 10 normal hearing children(NH) were asked to read 7 Korean vowels(/ɑ, ʌ, o, u, ɯ, i, ɛ/). The subjects' readings were recorded by NasalView and analyzed by Praat. The analysis of the formant bandwidths explains the degree of vocal fold opening and the characteristics of radiation. Through the analysis of formant bandwidth, we can see that the hearing-impaired maintain vocal fold tension when they speak high vowels and characteristics of radiation. Narrower B1 means better maintain vocal fold tension, wider B2 means more front and wider B3 means the rounder lips. CI's B1 was widest and NH's was narrowest. And females' B1 was wider than males'. Among vowels, B1 of /a/ was widest, and B1 of /i/ was narrowest. In the case of B2, HA and NH's B2 was wider than CI's. Females' B2 was wider than males'. And B2 of /i/ was widest, and B2 of /ʌ/ was narrowest. In the case of B3, NH's was widest, and CI's was narrowest. Males' was wider than females'. Among vowels, B3 of /o/ was widest, and B3 of /ɛ/ was narrowest. As a result, first, through the analysis of B1, we can find that NH and males could better maintain vocal fold tension than the hearing-impaired or females, and all children articulate /i/ with vocal fold tension than other vowels. Second, through the analysis of B2, NH and HA articulate vowels with the weaker rounded than CI does. And females articulate vowels with the weaker rounded than males do. Third, through the analysis of B3, NH articulate vowels with the rounder than HA or CI do, and males articulate vowels with the rounder than females do. Through the results, we can expect that the analysis of formant bandwidth will be applied to the therapy of articulation for the hearing-impaired with hearing aids or cochlear implant.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.818-830
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• 2016

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the parents listening guidance program, which allows the parents to understand their hearing impaired children and how to listen at home, on the communication skills of the hearing impaired children. The research subjects were 3 hearing impaired children who did not accompany with the intellectual, emotional and behabioral problems, and the listening guidance has been performed for their parents for 3 months through the listening guidance program. The changes in the communication skills in the hearing impaired children were observed comparing before and after the education. In the results, first, the receptive language skill of the hearing impaired children was improved after than before the parents listening guidance. Second, the expressive language skill of the hearing impaired children was improved after than before the parents listening guidance, too. Third, in the communication behavior of the hearing impaired children, the phonation and the speech production were increased together with the gesture after the parents listening guidance. In conclusion, it is deemed that the parents listening guidance program would have positive influence on the communication behavior of the hearing impaired children.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.45-52
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• 2010

It takes a lot of time or is even impossible to communicate for people with physical disability and/or speech impairment. Augmentative and Alternative Communication System is an important computerized tool that makes it possible for those people to communicate. Since not only speech impaired people, but also people with other physical disability cannot use conventional computer input devices easily such as keyboard and mouse, so more simple input devices are need for them to communicate. Thus, in this paper, I designed and implemented a communication aid system, with which they can communicate with simple inputs. I collected frequently used sentences by people with disability and categorized them into 9 everyday language groups. With these categories, they can select any sentence with few simple selections. If none of these categories includes the sentences they want, ChunJiIn keyboard is provided so that they can input the sentences, which can be added to the existing language groups for later use. The priority levels of the sentences in each group is constantly readjusted based on usage frequency so that the number of inputs can be reduced.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Sine a self-reported questionnaire for hearing-impaired listeners is not available by Malay language yet, it is important to develop or translate any available existing questionnaires. The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adult (HHIA) to be used by the audiologist among the hearing-impaired population in Malaysia. Subjects and Methods: The HHIAs was translated to Malay language using forward-backward translation techniques by four-panellists (two for each level). The translated HHIA was then reconciled and harmonized for cultural aspects and content of the questionnaire by the researchers and two expert panels before being pilot-tested among 10 hearing-impaired patients. Questionnaire validation was conducted among 80 adults with a hearing loss to calculate for Cronbach's α (internal reliability), Spearman's correlation (inter-item correlation) and factor analysis. Results: None of the translated items were removed from the scale. The overall Cronbach's α was 0.964; 0.927 and 0.934 for both social and emotional subscales, respectively. The factor analysis (force-concept inventory) demonstrated a two-structure with a strong correlation between all items in either component 1 or 2, that resembled the original scale. The Mann-Whitney test revealed significantly higher scores for those adults with a hearing loss than those adults with normal hearing. Conclusions: The Malay HHIA has been successfully translated and validated for the purpose of determining the psychosocial aspects of adults with hearing loss in the local population.

• Korean Journal of Audiology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.129-134
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• 2019

Background and Objectives: Sine a self-reported questionnaire for hearing-impaired listeners is not available by Malay language yet, it is important to develop or translate any available existing questionnaires. The aim of this study was to translate, adapt and validate the Hearing Handicap Inventory for Adult (HHIA) to be used by the audiologist among the hearing-impaired population in Malaysia. Subjects and Methods: The HHIAs was translated to Malay language using forward-backward translation techniques by four-panellists (two for each level). The translated HHIA was then reconciled and harmonized for cultural aspects and content of the questionnaire by the researchers and two expert panels before being pilot-tested among 10 hearing-impaired patients. Questionnaire validation was conducted among 80 adults with a hearing loss to calculate for Cronbach's α (internal reliability), Spearman's correlation (inter-item correlation) and factor analysis. Results: None of the translated items were removed from the scale. The overall Cronbach's α was 0.964; 0.927 and 0.934 for both social and emotional subscales, respectively. The factor analysis (force-concept inventory) demonstrated a two-structure with a strong correlation between all items in either component 1 or 2, that resembled the original scale. The Mann-Whitney test revealed significantly higher scores for those adults with a hearing loss than those adults with normal hearing. Conclusions: The Malay HHIA has been successfully translated and validated for the purpose of determining the psychosocial aspects of adults with hearing loss in the local population.

• The Magazine of the IEIE
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.91-98
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• 1997

Text-to-Speech(WS) technology has been attracting a lot of interest among speech engineers because of its own benefits. Namely, the possible application areas of talking computers, emergency alarming systems in speech, speech output devices for speech-impaired, and so on. Hence, many researchers have made significant progresses in the speech synthesis techniques in the sense of their own languages and as a result, the quality of current speech synthesizers are believed to be acceptable to normal users. These are partly why the MPEG group had decided to include the WS technology as one of its MPEG-4 functionalities. ETRI has made major contributions to the current MPEG-4 775 appearing in various MPEG-4 documents with relatively minor contributions from AT&T and NW. Main MPEG-4 functionalities presently available are; 1) use of original prosody for synthesized speech output, 2) trick mode functions for general users without breaking synthesized speech prosody, 3) interoperability with Facial Animation(FA) tools, and 4) dubbing a moving/anlmated picture with lip-shape pattern informations.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.7-16
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• 2002

This study tested normal hearing adults' auditory perception of rhythm and intonation patterns, with low-frequency speech energy. The results showed that the narrow-band low-frequency zones of 125, 250, or 500 Hz provided the same important rhythm and intonation cues as did the wide-band condition. This suggested that an auditory training strategy that uses low-frequency filters would be effective for structuring or re-structuring the perception of rhythm and intonation patterns. These filters force the client to focus on these patterns, because the speech intelligibility is drastically reduced. This strategy can be used with both normal-hearing and hearing impaired children and adults with poor listening skills, and possibly poor speech intelligibility.

• Journal of the Semiconductor & Display Technology
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.24-29
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• 2023

In this paper, we propose a real-time bus arrival notification system using deep learning to guarantee movement rights for the visually impaired. In modern society, by using location information of public transportation, users can quickly obtain information about public transportation and use public transportation easily. However, since the existing public transportation information system is a visual system, the visually impaired cannot use it. In Korea, various laws have been amended since the 'Act on the Promotion of Transportation for the Vulnerable' was enacted in June 2012 as the Act on the Movement Rights of the Blind, but the visually impaired are experiencing inconvenience in using public transportation. In particular, from the standpoint of the visually impaired, it is impossible to determine whether the bus is coming soon, is coming now, or has already arrived with the current system. In this paper, we use deep learning technology to learn bus numbers and identify upcoming bus numbers. Finally, we propose a method to notify the visually impaired by voice that the bus is coming by using TTS technology.