CH711137A1 - Multifunction Clock and calendar for people with disabilities. - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to develop a device for all people with disabilities (children, people with a cognitive impairment, people with autism spectrum disorders, seniors with memory problems, etc.). to be able, autonomously, to obtain easily and quickly a comprehensible description - according to his level of knowledge - of the activity or the task that he must perform in the present moment. The clock and calendar device according to the invention comprises a screen divided into a first plurality of zones (1); illumination means for selectively illuminating each of the areas of the first plurality of areas; a printed sheet, the sheet for covering at least a portion of the first plurality of areas, the sheet itself being divided into a second plurality of areas, each of the latter areas corresponding to an area of the first plurality of areas ( 1), and each being printed to illustrate an activity; identification means affixed to the printed sheet; identification reading means (7): time display means; means for selecting a program configured to select a program determined according to the reading result of the identification means; and control means configured to execute the selected program and thereby control the illumination means to illuminate a determined area of the first plurality of areas (1); thereby leading to the illumination of the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas (1), thereby highlighting the activity shown therein, and further leading to the display by the time display means, a time associated with the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas.

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a clock / calendar for a person with disabilities to get assistance to correlate between the present moment and his schedule.

Description of the invention

State of the art

In our society everyone has learned to manage his schedule using a calendar and a clock. These two tools have multiple variations but they always follow the same logic; the year is subdivided into months, month into weeks, week into days and day into hours and hour into minutes.

To be able to locate in time and establish a correlation between - an hour displayed, a daily plan, weekly, etc.. - and the present moment, it is necessary to know how to decode the displayed inscriptions. This decoding and rebuilding exercise we practice it multiple times a day without paying attention because our cognitive skills are extremely well trained and we do not need at each consultation to "redo" the whole path that creates the links between the present time, what is written on a schedule and what needs to be done to achieve it. Certainly, sometimes we face some hesitations about the date or the day we are going through, however a brief glance at some familiar landmarks allows us to be quickly again in phase with our calendar and the present moment.

To situate in the time

The creativity of graphic designers allows an infinity of composition, however to be able to locate in time and establish an exact correlation between - an hour displayed, a daily plan, weekly, etc.. - and the present moment, it is necessary to know how to decode the displayed inscriptions. Indeed, whether it is a clock (analog or digital) or a plane, it is essential to be able to create an abstract representation and a relationship between the present moment and the conventional codes observed describing the time, an activity or a day of the week. This even for a summary plan composed only of a row or a column. Knowing how to read the time is already one thing, but knowing how to assign it to a time slot of a schedule is another. Knowing how to read a daily plan in a linear way starting from the beginning to the end is one thing, but to differentiate what is from the morning of the afternoon is another. To know that "now" is illustrated in my diary and that it is at the intersection of the line "X" and the column "Y" is another thing. Thus people with disabilities or autism spectrum disorders are facing great difficulties, or are unable to perform these various operations.

Technical problem

The purpose of the present invention is to develop a device for all people with disabilities (children, people with cognitive impairment, people with autism spectrum disorders, seniors with memory problems, etc.) to be able, autonomously, to obtain easily and quickly a comprehensible description - according to his level of knowledge - of the activity or the task that he must perform in the present moment. This information may be supplemented by an indication of the remaining time and the following activities.

The usual means are insufficient because people do not - or have lost - the skills required to use them properly. Existing specific processes are either voice or digital, they do not allow the use of pictograms adapted to the user and do not simultaneously indicate the time remaining for each activity.

Solution

The features described in claim 1 solve the technical problem.

The invention provides a clock and calendar device comprising a screen divided into a first plurality of zones; illumination means for selectively illuminating each of the areas of the first plurality of areas; a printed sheet, the sheet covering at least a portion of the first plurality of areas, the sheet itself being divided into a second plurality of areas, each of the latter areas corresponding to an area of the first plurality of areas; , and each being printed to illustrate an activity; identification means affixed to the printed sheet; identification reading means; time display means; means for selecting a program configured to select a program determined according to the reading result of the identification means; and control means configured to execute the selected program and thereby control the illumination means to illuminate a determined area of the first plurality of areas, thereby leading to illumination of the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas, thereby setting highlighting the activity shown therein, and further leading to display by the time display means a time associated with the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas.

In a preferred embodiment, the clock and calendar device further comprises auditory and / or visual alert means.

In a preferred embodiment, the clock and calendar device further comprises a means for validating the completed task.

In a preferred embodiment, the clock and calendar device further comprises a means of consulting subsequent activities.

In a preferred embodiment, the clock and calendar device further comprises means for saving the battery current and means for reactivating the system.

advantages

An advantage of the invention lies in the fact that people with disabilities will find greater autonomy in the management of time and different activities daily, weekly, or annual. With this new system it is possible to simply adapt graphic representations according to the tastes and level of competence of each user. The encoding of the printed sheets containing this diversity of representation allows a considerable number of different compositions that can adapt to the specificities and peculiarities of each situation. The device is easily transportable and it is quite possible to record the sheets in different places such as cooking (recipes for different dishes, menu plan), the bedroom (sequencing of the dressing), or the office for work activities.

Brief description of figures / drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail with the aid of an exemplary embodiment shown in the following drawings: <Tb> Fig. 1 <SEP> contains an illustration of certain details of the apparatus according to the invention; <Tb> Fig. 2 <SEP> shows an example of a printed sheet and a composition matrix; and <Tb> Fig. 3 <SEP> schematically illustrates a process for starting the device and its use.

Detailed description of exemplary embodiment of the invention

The device looks like a tablet, which for example can have an A4 format. As shown in fig. 1, the screen of the tablet divided into a first plurality of zones 1 is composed of an opaque transparent plate 2. Under this screen, a lighting means 3 makes it possible to selectively illuminate each of the zones of the first plurality of zones 1 A time display means 4 on a surface adjacent to the screen indicates the lapse of time (visualization of the elapsed time - visualization of the time remaining for the activity in progress).

On the screen is inserted a printed sheet easily interchangeable, an example is shown in FIG. 1, comprising a second plurality of zones 5, each of the latter zones 5 corresponding to a zone of the first plurality of zones 1, and each being printed with an image, a pictogram, etc. to illustrate an activity or task to be performed; A matrix for creating the different printed sheets is divided into 7 columns and 12 lines. This division is given here as an example and could of course be different depending on the available surface. Nevertheless, the division proposed here is particularly clever. For a "portrait" type orientation, the divisional division represents the 7 days of the week, each containing 12 activities. For a "landscape" orientation, we obtain the 12 months of the year, each containing 7 significant activities.

An identification means (6) affixed to the printed sheet constitutes a third zone arranged to be recognized by reading and identification means. (7) Each identification code corresponds to a program in the form of a text file comprising the indications necessary for setting the time and duration of illumination of each zone of the lighting means. A means for selecting a program configured to select the text file determined according to the reading result of the identification means enables the control means (microprocessor 8, FIG 1) configured to execute the selected program and thus to control the program. means for illuminating and illuminating a determined area of the first plurality of areas, thereby illuminating the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas, thereby highlighting the activity shown therein, and further leading to displaying by the time display means a time associated with the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas. When the current activity is completed the relevant area goes off simultaneously with the time display means and the next activity area illuminates, a new cycle begins. This change may be accompanied by an audible signal via an audible and / or visual warning means 9 (see Fig. 1)

The illumination time of each zone may be of a predetermined duration or of a variable duration depending on the speed of execution of the user. In the latter case the user validates the end of the task by the validation means of the completed task 10.

In some situations we can also consider that the user can view the following activity - or the activities of half a day, the day, the week, etc.. - on request, this can be done by means of consultation of subsequent activities 11.

To save battery power the system automatically goes into sleep mode. However, the user can at any time activate the device using the system reactivation means. To achieve this function two options are implemented. Either by pressing the button (11) or by simple movement of the device. In the latter case the reactivation of the system is done via the activation of a motion detector. Both modes can be enabled or disabled when configuring the printed sheet and the related text file.

Specific software allows accompanying personnel to create and manage the printed sheets and the corresponding program file. The transfer of the file to the device is via a USB port, a bluetooth system or Wifi, as shown in fig. 3. The device with the adapted printed sheet can then be given to the user so that the latter visualizes his schedule.

A software for mobile phone and Tablet can reproduce the same functions as those described above.

Claims (5)

1. A clock and calendar device comprising a screen divided into a first plurality of areas (1); illumination means for selectively illuminating each of the areas of the first plurality of areas; a printed sheet, the sheet for covering at least a portion of the first plurality of areas, the sheet itself being divided into a second plurality of areas (5), each of the latter areas corresponding to an area of the first plurality zones (1), and each being printed to illustrate an activity; identification means (6) affixed to the printed sheet; identification reading means (7); time display means; and means for selecting a program configured to select a program determined according to the reading result of the identification means; control means configured to execute the selected program and thereby control the illumination means to illuminate a determined area of the first plurality of areas (1), thereby leading to illumination of the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas ( 5), thereby highlighting the activity shown therein, and further leading to the display by the time display means of a time associated with the corresponding area of the second plurality of areas. The clock and calendar device of claim 1, further comprising auditory and / or visual alert means. The clock and calendar device of claim 1, further comprising means for validating the completed task. The clock and calendar device of claim 1, further comprising a means for viewing subsequent activities. The clock and calendar device of claim 1, further comprising means for saving battery power and system reactivation means.