GB2517508A

GB2517508A - Braille upon the surface of a visual display unit

Info

Publication number: GB2517508A
Application number: GB1315165.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paavan Gandhi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-08-24
Filing date: 2013-08-24
Publication date: 2015-02-25
Also published as: GB201315165D0

Abstract

A system consisting of software processes that converts characters 1 presently displayed upon a visual display unit (VDU) 2 into Braille characters 3 that can then be created as a physical stimulus upon the surface 4 of the VDU. This enables Braille characters 3 to be read from the surface of the VDU as a physical texture. Preferably the Braille characters 3 are situated directly above the original characters 1 as to retain the layout and context of the original content present on the on the visual display. Preferably, Braille characters 3 are not visible upon any surface or interface of the device, but are felt though physical stimulus.

Description

Braille upon the surface of a visual display unit This invention relates to a system for creating braille that is readable as a physical stimulus upon the surface of a visual display unit (VDU).

When an individual with a visual impairment uses a device with a VDU, a range of software-based accessibility options are available to aid how the individual interacts with the device and reads text and items upon the screen. In addition, specialist hardware such as braille readers are also available to connect to the device, which can then present physical braille characters for the user to read.

However, the use of software-based accessibility options can be intrusive and limiting to users that are deaf and blind as many systems involve using an audio stimulus to navigate the system and read text to the user. Another common assistive method is for interface and text elements to be enlarged, however this results in an altered experience for the user that can result in content being displayed improperly, thus leaving individuals with a visual impairment at a disadvantage.

Furthermore. if there is a need to input characters into a touchscreen based system, it isn't possible to distinguish between characters on the on-screen keyboard and so the next viable alternative is to dictate to the device. Dictating to the device converts the user's speech into text, however this method can be slow, inaccurate and uncomfortable in a quiet location as it is compromising to the user's privacy. The use of specialist hardware such as braille readers, refreshable braille displays, and braille keyboards can improve the situation as the user can read text in a non-intrusive way, however this option requires for an additional device to be connected and text cannot be displayed in the context and layout it was intended (e.g. a web page where text is displayed in a specific layout or user interface elements in specific locations).

To overcome these problems, the present invention proposes a system consisting of software processes that communicates with a visual display unit to create a physical stimulus, allowing for characters presently displayed on-screen to be readable as braille upon the VDU surface. The ability to read on-screen characters as braille over the VDU removes the need for other assistive devices and/or technologies and provides the user with independence when reading off of a VDU.

The envisaged application for the present invention is touchscreen devices since it is currently not possible to physically distinguish between characters upon the screen without the use of the aforementioned assistive technologies above, however the invention can be applied to any kind of visual display where braille is required as a physical stimulus.

The braille characters over the VDU are situated preferably directly above the original characters as to retain the layout and context of the original content presently showing on the visual display.

Creating a physical stimulus of braille characters over the VDU may be through means of using Coulomb's law to create an attractive force between the VDU surface and the skin of the user's finger(s), thus creating the feeling of a texture, which in this context is Braille. Alternative methods of creating a physical stimulus upon the screen can however be used such as localised and non-localised haptic feedback and through the use of mechanical tactile displays.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows characters currently displayed on the VDU, and a braille version of the characters created simultaneously on the VDU surface, Figure 2 shows the software process for converting original (non-braille) characters displayed on the VDU into braille characters that create a physical stimulus on the VDU surface, and preferably directly over the original characters, Figure 3 shows how the location of on-screen characters are saved as x-axis and y-axis coordinates based upon the VDU's pixels.

In figure 1, characters 1 presently displayed on the VDU 2 are converted and transmitted to the surface on top of the VDU 4, where the end result is a physical stimulus that feels like braille 3 as a result of the aforementioned attractive force (Coulomb's law) between 4 and the finger's skin 5.

When braille characters 3 are created on the surface on top of the VDU 4, the braille characters are preferably not visible upon any surface or interface of the device.

In figure 2, two processes are taking place simultaneously 1 and the final outcomes from both processes are saved to local memory or storage. Immediately following from this, a single software process 2 reads both of these outcomes from local memory or storage and relays this information to the surface of the VDU (figure 1 ref. 4) by means of a provided API and/or utilising the software driver for the VDU. This allows for a braille version of the characters to be created as a readable physical stimulus upon the surface of the VDU, located preferably directly over the original characters.

Once braille characters have been created upon the VDU surface, the process checks 3 to see if any of the original characters (figure 1 ref. 1) or their positions have changed and updates the braille on-screen by repeating the entire process 4.

In figure 3, coordinate data for a character displayed on-screen is read relative to the VDU's pixels on the x-axis and y-axis. Where figure 3 shows an example VDU 1 with resolution of 1280 pixels on the x-axis 2 and 720 pixels on the y-axis 3, the start of the character located at reference 4 has the pixel coordinates: (1152,360). This coordinate data is subsequently saved by the software process as illustrated in figure 2 and used to create braille characters at the same location by utilising the saved data.

Claims

Claims 1. Software to convert non-braille characters presently shown on a visual display unit (VDU) into braille characters that are touchable and readable as a physical stimulus upon the surface of the VDU.
2. Software according to claim 1, in which characters displayed at present upon the VDU are translated into braille characters, irrespective of language or format via the softwaie process illustrated by figure 2.
3. Software operating in combination with a VDU that allows for braille to be physically readable by touch according to claim 1, by means of creating a physical stimulus upon the surface of the VDU.
4. Software according to any of the preceding claims, in which preferably neither the converted braille characters nor created braille characters upon the VDU surface are visible upon any surface or interface of the device.
5. Software according to any of the preceding claims, in which readable braille characters are created on the surface of the VDU and are preferably directly above the original characters by means of saving the location of the original characters displayed at present upon the VDU as coordinates data to local memory or storage and subsequently using this data combined with the converted braille characters according to claim 2 to create the physical stimulus of braille characters upon the surface of the VDU.
6. Coordinate data according to claim 5, in which the location of characters are saved as x-axis and y-axis coordinates based upon the VDU's pixels.