JP2006313305A - Braille information processor, tape processing apparatus, method for processing braille information, program and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a braille information processor, a tape processing apparatus, a method for processing a braille information, a program and a storage medium which dispense with a large sized memory and complicated control for analysis etc., and which enable even a sighted person having no correct knowledge regarding a braille translation specifications to easily generate braille information based on printed character information. <P>SOLUTION: Character information for indicating a character string of the printed character is input and clause information for indicating separation of a clause of the character string is set. The character information and the clause information are made correspond to each other and stored, and by referring to the clause information based on the character information, the braille information for indicating braille string corresponding to the character string is generated according to the braille translation specifications. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a braille information processing apparatus, a tape processing apparatus, a braille information processing method, a program, and a storage medium that process braille information.

Conventionally, for example, a character string (hereinafter simply referred to as “ink character string”) is input by a method commonly used in a word processor or a personal computer, and ink character information (ink character data: ink text data, etc.) of the character string is input. ), There are roughly two methods for creating braille information (braille data: braille mass image data, etc.) of a braille character string (hereinafter simply “braille string”). The first method is to use an existing ink character string that has been confirmed, recorded, registered, etc., and refers to an analysis dictionary and performs so-called morphological analysis and syntax analysis on the ink character string according to the analysis algorithm. In this method, automatic braille translation is performed according to the Braille translation specification (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The second method is a method of inputting an ink character string of a kana character string corresponding to Braille on the assumption that it is converted to Braille (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2001-88358 A Utility Model Registration No.3054580

  By the way, as described above, when a braille string is created based on an ink character string, for example, a kana character string “going today” is “Kyowa_Ishani_Iku” (“_” is a space). It is unclear whether it should be converted to Braille corresponding to “Kyo_Hisani_Iku” or not, so it cannot be handled by the first method described above. Also, in the second method, it is necessary to input after understanding the Braille translation specifications, such as “Kyowa_shasani_iku” or “Kyo_hasani ni_iku” as it is. is there.

  On the other hand, for example, a kanji mixed character string of “going to the doctor today” and “going to the dentist today” can be translated roughly accurately by analyzing and translating them with reference to the analysis dictionary. However, in this case, the apparatus requires an enormous storage capacity (memory) for storing the analysis dictionary, and requires complicated control (processing) for executing the analysis algorithm.

  The present invention does not require an enormous memory and complicated control for analysis, etc., and even a sighted person who does not have accurate knowledge about Braille translation specifications can easily create Braille information based on ink character information. An object is to provide a braille information processing device, a tape processing device, a braille information processing method, a program, and a storage medium.

  The Braille information processing apparatus of the present invention includes an input unit that inputs character information indicating a character string for ink characters, a phrase setting unit that sets phrase information indicating a segment break of the character string, the character information, and the character information Storage means for storing phrase information in association with each other, and Braille translation means for referring to the phrase information based on the character information and creating Braille information indicating a Braille string corresponding to the character string according to Braille translation specifications, It is characterized by having.

  Further, the Braille information processing method of the present invention inputs character information indicating a character string for ink characters, sets phrase information indicating a paragraph break of the character string, and associates the character information with the phrase information. In addition, the braille information indicating the braille string corresponding to the character string is created in accordance with the Braille translation specification by referring to the phrase information based on the character information.

  According to these, since the character information to be input is a character string for ink characters that is commonly used in word processors or the like, even a sighted person who does not have accurate knowledge about Braille translation specifications can easily input. In addition, the phrase information of the character string is set, but the phrase itself is not directly related to Braille, and is the smallest unit that decomposes the character string to an extent that is not unnatural in terms of meaning and pronunciation. Because it is a unit that does not feel unnatural by putting “sa” or “ne” in the separator, it can be set easily regardless of the knowledge of Braille. And if even the division of clauses is clear, Braille translation specifications such as Kana-specific kana or shuffling can be applied without requiring morphological analysis or syntactic analysis, and based on the character strings (ink information) Braille strings (braille information) can be created. That is, if there is clause information, the character string can be easily translated into a braille string. Therefore, even a sighted person who does not need an enormous memory and complicated control for analysis or the like and does not have accurate knowledge about Braille translation specifications can easily create Braille information based on character information. Since character information and phrase information are stored in association with each other, braille translation can be easily performed even if not immediately after character information input or phrase information setting. That is, it may be stored (registered, etc.) once and only the braille translation is performed at a later date. In this case, the first method for the existing character string is not used instead of the second method described above immediately after the input. It can also be substituted.

  In the Braille information processing apparatus described above, it is preferable that the storage unit stores the phrase information as accompanying information of the character information.

  According to this, since the phrase information is stored together as the accompanying information of the character information, both pieces of information can be stored as a set, so that it is easy to refer to at a later (or later) braille translation.

  As another way of storing, in the Braille information processing apparatus described above, the storage means includes a phrase correspondence table storage means for storing a phrase correspondence table that associates the phrase information with the character information. Is preferred.

  According to this, since the phrase information can be associated with the character information with reference to the phrase correspondence table, the phrase information and the character information can be stored or registered in separate storage areas. When storing a character string, etc., it is easy to secure a storage area on the memory, and it can be easily associated by storing and referring to a phrase correspondence table indicating correspondence such as a storage address.

  In each of the braille information processing apparatuses described above, the phrase setting unit specifies at least a part of the kana character string as one of the phrases when at least a part of the character string is a kana character string. It is preferable that a kana delimitation determination unit is provided, and the phrase information includes kana delimitation information indicating a delimitation when the phrase is designated.

  According to this, a part of the kana character string can be specified as a phrase, and the kana delimiter information indicating the delimiter is included in the phrase information. Can be easily set as phrase information by specifying and confirming separately like “Isani” “Ikui”, etc., which makes it easy to create braille strings corresponding to “Kyowa_Isani_Iku” Can be translated into braille. That is, it can be easily translated into a braille string reflecting the intention of the input person of the kana character string.

  Further, in each of the braille information processing devices described above, when at least a part of the input character string is a kana character string, at least a part of the kana character string is designated and kana-kanji conversion is performed, and at least one character string is converted. A kana-kanji conversion means for creating a kanji-mixed character string including kanji as one of the phrases, and the phrase information includes a kanji conversion delimiter indicating a delimiter for kana-kanji conversion for creating the phrase Information is preferably included.

  According to this, kana-kanji conversion can be performed by specifying a part of the character string of the kana character string, and the kanji conversion delimiter information indicating the delimiter at the time of kana-kanji conversion is included in the phrase information. For example, “Kyohaishani” “Kyoha” and “Ishani” can be specified separately and converted to Kanji to “Today's doctor”, or “Kyo” and “Haishani” can be converted into Kanji The phrase information can be easily set according to whether it is “to dentist today”, so that the braille string can be easily translated into a braille string that matches the intention of each kana-kanji conversion (reflecting the intention of the character string input person). it can.

  In the braille information processing apparatus described above, the kana-kanji conversion means has a plurality of conversion candidate information for the kana character string, and performs the kana-kanji conversion based on a selection result of the plurality of conversion candidate information. And the storage means divides the plurality of conversion candidate information into those to be separated and those not to be divided, and the Braille translation means includes a selection result of the conversion candidate information and the divided information. It is preferable to create the Braille information based on the above.

  According to this, whether or not the conversion candidate information selected as the conversion candidate at the time of kana-kanji conversion needs to be divided is determined based on the division information for determining this, and the determination result Braille information is created accordingly, so it is impossible to perform correct braille translation only with the set phrase information, for example, “Akagiyama”, the name of the mountain, and “Akagi-san” with a name given to the person. Even in such a case, it is possible to determine based on the classification information that “Mt. Akagi” is not marked and “Mr. Akagi” is marked. That is, it is possible to execute accurate braille translation according to the Braille translation specification.

  Another Braille information processing apparatus of the present invention is a Braille information processing apparatus that performs Braille translation of input character information, and has a plurality of conversion candidate information in each part of speech, and the selection of the plurality of conversion candidate information Based on the result, the kana-kanji conversion means for converting the character information into kana-kanji, the braille translation means for creating the braille information corresponding to the character information in accordance with the braille translation specification for the character information, and the plurality of parts for each part of speech Storage means for storing division information into which conversion is performed and what is not performed, and the Braille translation means includes a selection result of the conversion candidate information and the classification information. Based on the above, the Braille information is created.

  Furthermore, another Braille information processing method of the present invention is a Braille information processing method for performing Braille translation of input character information using the Kana-Kanji conversion function of the Japanese document creation function, wherein the Kana-Kanji conversion function The plurality of conversion candidate information for each part of speech of the above is divided into those that are to be divided and those that are not to be divided, and the Braille translation is performed based on the selection result of the conversion candidate information and the classified information. It is characterized by performing.

  According to these, the conversion candidate information selected as the conversion candidate at the time of kana-kanji conversion is determined based on the division information for determining whether or not to perform the divided writing, and according to the determination result, the divided writing is performed. Therefore, even when it is impossible to perform correct Braille translation with only the phrase information, it is possible to execute accurate Braille translation according to the Braille translation specification. Therefore, correct Braille translation can be performed by referring to the phrase information and the segmentation information without using an analysis dictionary that requires a large storage capacity (memory).

  Further, in each of the braille information processing devices described above, the braille translation means includes a braille character string creation means that creates a braille character string corresponding to a character string that is generated by reading the braille string of the created braille information as it is, It is preferable to have Braille conversion means for creating image information of a mass image of the Braille string as at least a part of the Braille information based on the Braille character string and the Braille translation specification.

  According to this, for example, by converting the ink character string of “Kyosha Sha Niku”, braille character strings such as “Kyowa_Ishani_Iku” and “Kyo_Hisani_Iku” are created, and based on that, Braille A mass image of a string is created, but by using a braille translation character string that acts as an intermediary between the ink character string and the braille character string, the conversion of the ink character string to the braille character string is a kana or part of the braille translation specification. In other words, only grammatical conversion is applied, applying only grammatical elements such as braille translation → braille translation, the same meaning character → mass image conversion, that is, change the notation method (symbolize, image In other words, it is only necessary to perform image conversion, and control and processing can be simplified by dividing and subdividing the processing. Also, since a mass image (image data) is created here, it can also be used for an actual Braille embossing process or the like.

  Each of the braille information processing apparatuses described above preferably further includes display means for displaying the character string of the character information, the braille character string, and the mass image.

  According to this, the user can easily visually recognize whether Braille translation including split writing is executed as intended by comparing the character string of the input character information with the braille character string. Furthermore, since the braille square image is displayed, even if the user does not have detailed knowledge about braille, a rough braille stamp image, such as how many squares the input character information is converted into, is displayed. It becomes possible to grasp easily.

  In the Braille information processing apparatus described above, it is preferable that the Braille translation unit further includes a Braille character string editing unit that creates or changes the mass image by editing the Braille character string.

  According to this, the braille translation string can be edited to create / change the mass image. For example, if the displayed braille translation string is different from the intended one, modify the created braille translation string. Or a Braille character string can be recreated from the beginning, so that even a sighted person with no knowledge of Braille can easily create and change image information of a mass image and Braille information including the image information. It can also be used conveniently when creating a braille string that does not directly correspond to the input character string.

  A tape processing apparatus according to the present invention includes the Braille information processing apparatus according to any one of the above, and Braille stamping means for stamping the Braille translated into the processing tape. .

  According to this, the Braille information processing apparatus according to any one of the above can be used to stamp Braille on the processing tape that has been subjected to accurate Braille translation according to the Braille translation specification.

  Moreover, the above-described tape processing apparatus preferably further includes a printing unit that prints ink characters on the processing tape based on the character information.

  According to this, it becomes possible to further print ink characters on the processing tape based on the inputted character information (ink character information).

  A program of the present invention is characterized by causing a computer to function as each means in any of the above-described Braille information processing apparatus or tape processing apparatus. The storage medium of the present invention stores the above-described program so as to be readable by a program-processable device.

  According to these, since any of the above-described Braille information processing apparatus or tape processing apparatus can be functioned, by being processed by a program-processable apparatus or by being read from a storage medium and executed, Even a sighted person who does not need an enormous memory or complicated control for analysis or the like and does not have accurate knowledge about Braille specifications can easily create Braille information based on ink character information.

  Hereinafter, a label producing apparatus (Braille information processing apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the label producing apparatus in a closed state, and FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the label producing apparatus in an opened state. As shown in both figures, the label producing apparatus 1 performs ink-character printing on the processing tape T (see FIG. 2) and strikes the tape piece Ta (see FIG. 2) obtained from the processing tape T in braille. An apparatus main body 2 that performs engraving and a tape cartridge C that accommodates the processing tape T and the ink ribbon R and is detachably attached to the apparatus main body 2 are provided.

  In the apparatus main body 2, an outer shell is formed by the apparatus case 3, and an ink-printing part 62 is widely formed therein, and a braille stamping part 64 is formed on the right side of the rear half of the apparatus case 3. A keyboard 5 having various keys 4 is disposed on the upper surface of the front half of the device case 3. An opening / closing lid 7 is widely provided on the upper surface of the rear half of the device case 3, and a lid opening button 8 for opening the opening / closing lid 7 is provided on the front side of the opening / closing lid 7. On the front side of the opening / closing lid 7, a rectangular display 9 for displaying the input result from the keyboard 5 is formed.

  When the lid opening button 8 is pressed to open the opening / closing lid 7, a cartridge mounting portion 6 into which the tape cartridge C is mounted is formed in the inside thereof, and the cartridge mounting portion 6 is fed out from the tape cartridge C. A print head 21 that performs ink character printing is disposed on the processed tape T (see FIG. 2).

  On the left side of the apparatus case 3 is formed a printing tape discharge port 18 that allows the cartridge mounting portion 6 to communicate with the outside of the apparatus, and the processing tape T is cut into the apparatus case 3 facing the printing tape discharge port 18. A cutter unit 31 is built in. The cutter unit 31 is disposed so as to face the printing tape discharge port 18, and a full cutter 33 that cuts the processing tape T in a scissors manner by a motor drive (full cutter motor 32; see FIG. 4), and a full cutter 33. On the other hand, a scissors-type half cutter with a stopper, which is disposed downstream of the tape feeding direction and cuts only the recording tape Tr of the processing tape T (to be described later) by a motor drive (half cutter motor 34; see FIG. 4) (half cut). 35. By this half-cutting, a disposal margin (not shown) is formed on the processing tape T at the distal end in the insertion direction to be inserted into the stamping assembly 40 described later.

  On the other hand, a braille stamping portion 64 is disposed on the right side of the upper surface of the rear half of the device case 3. The braille stamping portion 64 is a stamping tape insertion portion (sheet insertion) that is manually inserted from the front with the printing surface of the tape piece Ta facing up, with the stamping assembly 40 that forms the main body of the braille stamping portion 64 in front and back. Part) 11, and a stamped tape discharge part 12 from which the tape piece Ta stamped with Braille is discharged backward is formed. The stamping tape insertion portion 11 is provided with a manual feed guide 13 whose width can be adjusted. Reference numeral 15 in FIG. 1 denotes a stamped portion cover that covers the stamped assembly 40.

  A power supply port 16 for supplying power and a connection port 17 (interface) for connecting to an external device such as a personal computer (not shown) are formed on the right side of the device case 3. As a result, an external device can be connected to the connection port 17, and ink-character printing and braille stamping can be performed based on character information generated by the external device. Although omitted in both drawings, a circuit board constituting a control unit 60 (see FIG. 4) that performs overall control of the apparatus body 2 is mounted inside the apparatus case 3.

  A print head 21 having a heating element and covered with a head cover 20, a positioning projection 22 for positioning a tape reel 26 described later, a processing tape T and an ink ribbon R of the tape cartridge C are sent to the cartridge mounting portion 6. A platen drive shaft (not shown) that faces the print head 21 and a take-up drive shaft (not shown) that winds up the ink ribbon R are projected, and a plurality of corners of the cartridge mounting portion 6 are provided at the corner. A tape identification sensor 23 (see FIG. 4) configured by a micro switch is provided. In addition, a print feed motor 24 (see FIG. 4) and a reduction gear train (not shown) for driving the platen drive shaft and the take-up drive shaft are incorporated inside the bottom plate of the cartridge mounting portion 6.

  The tape cartridge C includes a cartridge case 25 and a tape reel 26 around which a processing tape T is wound, and a ribbon feeding reel 27 and a ribbon take-up reel 30 around which an ink ribbon R is wound at the lower right. Has been. A through-opening 28 is formed in the lower left portion of the tape reel 26 for insertion into the head cover 20 that covers the print head 21. Further, a platen roller 29 is disposed corresponding to a portion where the processing tape T and the ink ribbon R overlap with each other, and is fitted to the platen drive shaft and driven to rotate.

  When the tape cartridge C is mounted on the cartridge mounting portion 6, the through opening 28 is formed in the head cover 20, the tape reel 26 is positioned on the positioning projection 22, the ribbon winding reel 30 is positioned on the winding drive shaft, and the platen roller 29 is positioned on the platen driving shaft. When the open / close lid 7 is closed in this state, the print head 21 is in contact with the platen roller 29 with the processing tape T and the ink ribbon R interposed therebetween, and enters a print standby state. The platen drive shaft and the take-up drive shaft are rotated periodically based on the ink character data created by the control unit 60 corresponding to the character information input from the keyboard 5 or the like, so that the processing tape T and the ink ribbon R Ink characters are printed by the print head 21. At the same time, the ink ribbon R fed from the ribbon feeding reel 27 wraps around the opening wall of the through opening 28 and is taken up by the ribbon take-up reel 30. The disposal tape (not shown) is formed by the half cutter 35 on the processing tape T after ink-character printing, and the printed portion is cut by the full cutter 33, and the cut tape piece Ta is discharged from the printing tape discharge port 18. It is discharged outside.

  The processing tape T is composed of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) recording tape Tr having a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer coated on the back surface, and a PET peeling tape Tp affixed to the recording tape Tr by the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer. Yes. The processing tape T is wound in a roll shape with the recording tape Tr on the outside and the release tape Tp on the inside, and is accommodated in the cartridge case 25. A plurality of types of processing tapes T having different tape widths are prepared. A plurality of small detected holes (not shown) are formed on the back surface of the cartridge case C, and the plurality of detected holes are identified by the tape identification sensor 23 so that the type of the processing tape T can be identified. ing.

  Referring to FIG. 3A, the stamping assembly 40 faces a tape running path 36 that connects the stamping tape insertion portion 11 and the stamping tape discharge portion 12 in a straight line, and performs braille stamping and tape. An embossing unit 41 (braille embossing means) arranged close to the cartridge mounting part 6 side half in the width direction of the running path 36 and a tape piece Ta manually inserted from the embossing tape insertion part 11 are engraved. And a tape feeding unit 42 for feeding toward the tape discharge unit 12.

  The tape feed unit 42 includes a feed roller 44 that rotationally feeds the tape piece Ta, a roller shaft support portion 45 that pivotally supports the feed roller 44, and a stamping feed motor that can rotate forward and backward to rotate the feed roller 44. 43 (see FIG. 4), a power transmission mechanism (not shown) that transmits the power of the engraving feed motor 43 to the feed roller 44, and a tip detection mechanism 46 that detects the tip of the tape piece Ta that is fed. Yes. When the engraving feed motor 43 is driven, the feed roller 44 is rotated through the power transmission mechanism to feed the tape piece Ta, and the tip detection mechanism 46 detects the tip of the tape piece Ta being sent. With this as a trigger, the embossing unit 41 starts embossing Braille.

  Referring to FIG. 3B, the embossing unit 41 is disposed on the upstream side in the tape feeding direction with respect to the feed roller 44, and the embossing portion 47 disposed below the inserted tape piece Ta. The stamp receiving portion 51 is provided at a position facing the stamp portion 47. The embossing part 47 includes three embossing pins 48 arranged in correspondence with three embossing protrusions in the column among the six embossing protrusions constituting the Braille (six braille) and three The embossing guide block 49 guides the engraving operation of the engraving pin 48 so as to freely advance and retreat, and three solenoids 50 serving as driving sources. The stamp receiving portion 51 is formed with three receiving grooves 52 corresponding to the three stamping pins 48. While feeding the tape piece Ta by the tape feeding unit 42, the three solenoids 50 are used as the drive sources to selectively jump up the receiving grooves 52 toward the receiving grooves 52 to perform the marking operation. A so-called 6-braille embossed convex portion is formed on Ta.

  Next, the configuration of the control system of the label producing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The label producing apparatus 1 includes a keyboard 5 and a display 9, and includes an operation unit 61 that controls a user interface such as input of character information and display of various information by a user, a tape cartridge C, a print head 21, and a print feed motor 24. An ink character printing unit 62 that prints ink character data based on character information input on the processing tape T while feeding the processing tape T and the ink ribbon R, a full cutter 33, a half cutter 35, and a full drive for driving the ink. A cutter motor 32 and a half cutter motor 34 are provided, and a cutting unit 63 that performs full cut and half cut on the printed processing tape T is provided.

  Further, the label producing apparatus 1 includes a solenoid 50, a stamping pin 48, and a stamping feed motor 43, and a Braille stamping unit that stamps Braille data based on character information on the tape strip Ta while transporting the tape strip Ta. 64, various sensors such as the tape identification sensor 23 and the leading end detection mechanism 46, and a detection unit 65 that performs various detections, a display driver 66, a head driver 67, a print feed motor driver 68, a cutter motor driver 69, and an engraving. It has a driver 70 and an engraving feed motor driver 71, and includes a drive unit 72 that drives each unit, and a control unit 60 that is connected to each unit and controls the entire label producing apparatus 1.

  The control unit 60 includes a CPU 73, a ROM 74, a RAM 75, and an input control device 76 (IOC: Input Output Controller), which are connected to each other via an internal bus 77. The ROM 74 stores a kana-kanji conversion program for performing kana-kanji conversion of input information, a Japanese dictionary including conversion candidate information, classification information described later, and the like. The CPU 73 inputs various signals and data from each unit in the label producing apparatus 1 via the IOC 76 in accordance with a control program in the ROM 74. In addition, various data in the RAM 75 is processed based on the various signals and data that are input, and various signal data is output to each part in the label producing apparatus 1 via the IOC 76, whereby ink character printing processing and braille printing are performed. Control the processing.

  With this control, various processing can be performed on the processing tape T. For example, printing of ink characters on the processing tape T, cutting to obtain a tape piece Ta, and imprinting of braille results in obtaining a tape piece Ta on which both ink character printing and braille embossing are made. In addition, it is possible to obtain a tape piece Ta by cutting only by printing ink characters without performing braille printing. Alternatively, the printing tape T can be obtained by cutting the processing tape T without performing ink-character printing, and only braille stamping can be performed. In addition, the tape piece Ta after a process is each affixed on a sticking target object as an ink letter / braille label, an ink letter label, and a braille label.

  In addition, in the label producing apparatus 1, in addition to a normal display screen such as a text editing screen, a corresponding preview display screen (preview screen, monitor screen) can be displayed in the display 9. For this reason, when the display of the preview display screen is instructed by key input or the like, an image of the ink character printing or Braille embossing when actual ink character printing or Braille embossing is performed at that time ( Image) is displayed on the display 9 (preview display).

  Here, an example of creating Braille information in response to a Braille input instruction (for example, pressing of the Braille input key) using a key operation will be specifically described in detail regarding an example of an operation at the time of creating a label.

  Note that here, mainly based on the input of ink character information (ink character data, etc.) of the character string for ink characters (ink character string), the input ink character string is converted into braille (braille translation). The operation in the case of “Ink braille translation” for creating information (such as Braille data) will be described.

  First, in this case, as shown in FIG. 5, as the first operation, an ink character string that is the basis of the braille translation is input (S11).

  Further, here, in order to secure the data flow (data flow) in the label producing apparatus 1, as shown in FIG. ") Secure BP. In the processing unit BP, an area for phrase information setting processing (hereinafter referred to as “phrase information setting section”) BP01, an area for braille translation processing (hereinafter referred to as “translation processing section”) BP02, which will be described later, Similarly, an area (hereinafter referred to as “Braille conversion unit”) BP03 for braille conversion processing described later is secured. In the figure, [] indicates an example of reference data (reference control data: for example, braille translation specification data such as segmentation and long sound conversion) in the ROM 74 for reference in the processing in the area. In addition, the parentheses are used for an example (second example) in which kana-kanji conversion described later is employed, and the description thereof is omitted here.

  First, the ink information (here, text data) of the input ink character string is stored as input data (object data for phrase information setting) in the phrase information setting unit BP01.

  On the other hand, the actual operation is as shown in FIG. That is, first, in the initial state before the start of text editing, the line number (ink mark Mkp) of the first line to start editing is displayed, and the cursor K that prompts the input of the first character of the first line is displayed. (Text editing screen: Screen D00: Hereinafter, the state of the display screen of the display 9 will be referred to as a screen Dxx, and will be described and illustrated only with Dxx).

  From this state (D10), when a Braille input key is pressed as a user operation, the screen shifts to a selection screen (Braille input selection screen) of the first layer for Braille input (D11). In the label producing apparatus 1, the user cancels various instructions and input data by key input by pressing the delete key (deleting one character at a time) or pressing the cancel key, and returns to the original state. However, description thereof will be omitted below.

  In the above-described state (D11), as an option, either “character input” for inputting Braille based on character input or “direct input” for specifying a marking point and inputting Braille (mass) in units of points. , Can be selected and specified by cursor operation (immediately after the screen transition, the cursor is specified with the previously specified option as the default and displayed: initial setting is “character input”). In the following various screens, basically, immediately after the screen transition, the cursor is designated as the default position specified last time, and the description is omitted.

  Here, since we want to input ink characters, assuming that “character input” is designated as it is from the above state (D11) and selected by pressing the enter key (hereinafter simply referred to as “selection confirmation”), the Braille input method “Character input” is set as the (Braille input mode), and then the screen changes to a Braille information edit screen (D12).

  In this braille information editing screen, an “input” field for inputting / editing a normal character string (normal character string: ink character string), an “braille” field for inputting / editing a braille character string, and a braille translation A “Braille” field for displaying an image of a braille cell corresponding to the character string is displayed side by side on each line, and in the initial state, the cursor K prompts the user to input the first character in the “Input” field (D12). .

  Next, from this state (D12), when the ink character string “Kyoha” is input (D13), and then “Isani ni go” is input, the character next to the last character “ku” by the cursor K is input. (D14).

  Here, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 8, from the above state (D 14: common with FIG. 7), if the braille translation key is pressed (S 12), at this point “go to today” Since the ink character information (ink character data: text data) of the ink character string is stored in the phrase information setting unit BP01 as a processing target, the phrase information setting (S13) can be performed for this ink character string. Then, the phrase information setting screen is displayed (D20).

  In this phrase information setting screen, first of all, the first character of the ink character string “Kyohaishani ni” is “Kyo” (in this case, “Kyo” is used as a pronunciation unit instead of “ki”: input in Roman character input etc. Is also designated as the first phrase candidate (black and white inverted display) (D20), and then “Kyo” with the next character “U” added by the cursor (“→”) operation. Can be used as the first phrase candidate (D21), and subsequently, “Kyoha” can also be set as the first phrase candidate by the cursor operation (D22).

  Here, from the above state (D22), if "Kyoha" is confirmed as the first phrase by the cursor ("↓") operation, "I" is designated as the next second phrase candidate. Therefore (D23: common to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9), then, as shown in FIG. 9, the next character “sha” (again, not “shi” but “sha” in the pronunciation (input) unit. ) And “Isani” with the next “i” added as the second phrase candidate (D24), and if it is confirmed as it is, the next “I” becomes the candidate for the third phrase (D25). .

  Similarly, if “Iku” with the next “ku” added is set as the third phrase candidate (D26) and it is confirmed by the cursor (“↓”) operation or the enter key operation as it is, Since all the phrase information of the column “Kyosai Sha ni go” is set, the phrase information setting (S13) is ended, and the braille information editing screen is displayed so that the confirmation and editing can be performed after the braille translation and braille conversion processing. Transition (D27).

  Here, in the processing unit (data flow) BP, for braille translation processing, a data group BD01 composed of ink character information (ink character data) and clause information (phrase data) that is output from the phrase information setting unit BP01, In the braille translation processing unit BP02, the translation is performed. That is, based on the data group BD01 and the Braille translation specification, the ink character string is converted, and the target Braille string is read as it is, and a Braille character string (Braille kana character string) corresponding to the pronounced character string is created. Further, the braille character string data BD02 is processed in the Braille conversion unit BP03 to perform Braille conversion. That is, based on the braille translation character string and the Braille translation specification, image information of a mass image of the corresponding Braille string is created, and the data BD03 is prepared (output).

  Here, as described above, since three clauses (first to third clauses) “Kyoha”, “Isani”, and “Iku” are set, in the braille translation process, according to the “branch writing” of the Braille translation specification, Insert a space between the phrases and, for example, perform “long sound conversion” on “Kyoha” “Kyo” to “Kyo”, and “Kyoha” “ha” is “ha” It is pronounced as “wa” instead of “wa”. For this reason, the braille translation character string created by the braille translation process described above is “Kyowa_Isani_Iku”, and the braille corresponding to it becomes a mass image shown in the “Braille” column by the braille conversion process (see FIG. 10 D27 (common to FIG. 9), D30, D31 to D33, and FIGS. 11A and 11B).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the braille translation character string is indicated by a katakana whose long sound “-” is less unnatural than the hiragana, and the ink character string is easily distinguished as a hiragana, but vice versa. Both may be indicated by hiragana or katakana. Further, in order to clearly indicate a space, it is indicated by “_”, but in actuality, it may be simply a blank “”.

  In the above-described state (D27: common to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10), the “input” field is followed by “ku” so as to prompt the user to input a character string following the ink character string “Kyosai Sha ni go”. The cursor is designated and displayed, the braille character string “Kyowa_Ishani_Iku” is displayed in the “Braille” column, and the braille character string image corresponding to the braille character string is displayed in the “Braille” column.

  That is, in this state (D27: equivalent to S14 in FIG. 5), the cursor is designated so that it can be further added to the “input” field, so that an additional character string can be added. 5 (S15: Yes, and S16: No), and by performing the same operation as D12 of FIG. 7 to D27 of FIG. 9 described above (S11 to S14 of FIG. 5), the transition to the same state as D27 is made. Can do.

  However, since all of the desired character string “Kyohisaishini” has already been input here, as shown in FIG. 10, if it is confirmed by the cursor (“↓”) operation or the enter key operation as it is, “translation” The cursor is moved to the column, and a state with “★” indicating the content match (hereinafter “link state”) in the “input” column and the “translation” column is displayed (D30).

  From this state (D30), the cursor K is moved between the “input” field and the “braille” field or moved within the same line by the cursor operation, and the contents of each field are scrolled left and right in the figure. , You can check the contents of each line.

  This state is also a state corresponding to S14 in FIG. 5, and it is possible to edit an addition (insertion) or deletion by specifying a cursor at an arbitrary place in the “input” field or the “braille” field. (S15: Yes and S16: No in FIG. 5), editing is performed (S11: after any editing, the link state is canceled and the display of “★” disappears), and then the same (S12 To S13) and D27 (S14).

  However, here, all the contents are OK (S15: No in FIG. 5), and after confirming it (D30), if it is confirmed as it is (S17), all operations of the ink braille translation operation (S10) are terminated. (S18), a transition is made to a text editing screen with a preview reduced display (D31).

  In this state (D31), a preview reduced display R00 showing a reduced image when the label is created as it is, that is, a reduced version of the preview display screen is shown at the top of the screen. In the figure, an example is shown in which “tape width 24 mm” and “printed / braille label” are created.

  Also, at the bottom of the screen, a braille translation string “Kyowa_Isani_Iku” is displayed alongside a braille translation mark Mkb that is “dot”, and along with an ink mark Mkp indicating the line number of the first line, The ink string “Go to today” is displayed.

  However, in fact, this screen display state (D31) is a state in which the state of S14 in FIG. 5 can be substituted, and there is a need to correct (find) the ink character string or braille character string here. (S15: Yes and S16: No), the cursor operation can be used to specify the ink character string or the braille character string (D31 to D32) and input / edit them (S11). By pressing the braille translation key (S12), it is possible to transit to the braille information editing screen, and then transit to the same confirmation state (S14: D27, etc.) in the same manner as described above (S13 or S11 to S13 again). Can do.

  On the other hand, this state (D31 to D32) also has a side of a text editing screen, and is in a character information input / various information display state as in a normal text editing screen.

  Therefore, from these states (D31 to D32), when a print key is pressed and a print interrupt occurs, for example, when creating a “tape width 24 mm” and “printed ink / braille label” as shown in FIG. ), The ink-character printing is performed using the ink-character image Gp0. Thereafter, the ink-braille label L00 like the appearance (image) G00 can be created by performing the braille embossing on the braille image Gb0. .

  For this reason, in the above state (D31 to D32), when the preview key is pressed and a preview display interrupt occurs, the preview display process is activated. For example, in the above example, the image of the above label L00 is displayed. A preview is displayed (D33).

  Of course, the same applies to other examples. For example, if the tape width is 12 mm, the appearance image G01 in which the ink-character image Gp0 and the braille image Gb0 are overlapped as shown in FIG. Since such a label L01 can be created, when the preview key is pressed, a black dot combined image in which the Braille image and the ink character image are superimposed is displayed as a preview.

  Next, a case where only the phrase information is different for the same ink character string will be described. Here, the ink character string is assumed to be “to go to today” as in the above example.

  First, the ink character string “Kyohisaishaigo” is input in the same way as described above with reference to FIG. 7 (D12 to D14: S11 in FIG. 5), and the braille translation key is pressed (S12) to shift to the phrase information setting screen. (D20 in FIG. 8). Alternatively, from the above-described confirmation state (any one of D27 and D30 to D32 in FIGS. 9 and 10: equivalent to S14 in FIG. 5), only the phrase is corrected (S15: Yes and S16: Yes), and the braille translation key is pressed. (S12), transition is made to the phrase information setting screen (D20 in FIG. 8).

  From this state (D20), in the same manner as described above, the first phrase candidates up to “today” are set as the first phrase candidates (D21: common to FIGS. 8 and 12), and as shown in FIG. ↓ ”) If the operation is confirmed to be“ Kyo ”as the first phrase,“ ha ”is designated as a candidate for the next second phrase (D40). Up to “Haishani” with the characters “Isani” added as the second phrase candidate (D41), if it is confirmed as it is, the next “I” becomes the candidate for the third phrase (D42: FIG. 9). Same as D25).

  Similarly, if “Iku” with the next “ku” added is set as the third phrase candidate (same as D43: D26) and is confirmed as it is by the cursor (“↓”) operation or the enter key operation, Since all the phrase information of the character string “Kyohisaishoni” is set, the braille information setting (S13 in FIG. 5) is ended, and after the braille translation and braille conversion processing, the braille information can be checked and edited. Transition to the information editing screen (D44: common to FIGS. 12 and 13).

  In this case, three clauses “Kyo”, “Haishani”, and “Iku” are set. Here, as shown in FIG. 13, if it is determined as it is by a cursor (“↓”) operation or an enter key operation as it is. Since the cursor is moved to the “Braille” field and the link state is displayed (D50), the cursor K is moved between the “input” field and the “Braille” field or moved within the same line by the cursor operation. The contents of each column can be scrolled to the left and right in the figure to confirm the contents of each line.

  D50 to D53 in FIG. 13 are screens corresponding to D30 to D33 in FIG. 10 described above, although the phrase settings are different. Here, all the contents are OK (S15: No in FIG. 5) and confirmed. Later (D50), if it is confirmed as it is (S17), the whole operation of the ink braille translation operation (S10) is ended (S18), the screen is changed to a text editing screen with a preview reduced display, and a reduced version of the preview display screen is displayed. The preview reduced display R10 is shown at the top of the screen, and at the bottom of the screen, along with the braille translation mark Mkb, the braille translation string “Kyo_Hisani_iku” is displayed, and the ink mark Mkp indicating the line number of the first line Are displayed, and the ink string “I am going today” is displayed (D51).

  The example shown here is also an example in which the same “tape width 24 mm” and “printed / braille label” are created.

  Therefore, from these states (D51 to D52), when a print key is pressed and a print interruption occurs, for example, when creating a “tape width 24 mm” and “printed / braille label” as shown in FIG. ), After performing ink-printing with the ink-character image Gp0, the Braille image Gb1 is imprinted to create the ink-braille label L10 like the appearance image G10. If the width is “12 mm”, a label L11 such as an appearance image G11 in which the ink-character image Gp0 and the braille image Gb1 as shown in FIG.

  For this reason, in the above-described state (D51 to D52), when the preview key is pressed and a preview display interrupt occurs, the preview display process is started. The image of L10 is displayed as a preview (D53). If “tape width is 12 mm”, the image of the label L11 is displayed as a preview.

  Assuming that the above example is the first example, in the first example described above, the kana character string is handled as the ink character string. However, since the label creating apparatus 1 can convert the kana / kanji character, this kana / kanji character conversion is used. Then, phrase information can be set. This example will be described below as a second example.

  In this second example, kana-kanji conversion is performed based on hiragana input. For this reason, it is appropriately expressed as kana-kanji conversion. Of course, it is possible to input Katakana, but as described above, since the braille translation character string is expressed by Katakana, it is assumed to be Hiragana for convenience. Also in this second example, the ink character string is assumed to be “to go to today” as in the first example.

  The pressing of the braille translation key in the second example also serves as an instruction for kana-kanji conversion. For example, a braille translation key may be prepared separately (provided separately) from the aforementioned braille translation key. It may be used also as a conversion key for kana-kanji conversion. However, in this second example, a braille translation key is used, and a braille translation instruction by pressing the key always includes a kana-kanji conversion instruction. Here, for example, the kana character string “Kyoha” can be converted into Kana / Kanji characters, as well as kanji characters such as “Today”. If such a kana candidate is selected and confirmed, the same kana character string as “Kyohisaishii go” as in the first example can be used as a result of kana-kanji conversion. For this reason, the same operation as the first example can be performed using the braille translation key of the second example.

  First, the ink character string “Today is going” is input in the same manner as described above with reference to FIG. 7 (D12 to D14: S11 in FIG. 5), and from this state as shown in FIG. 14 (D14: FIG. 7). In common), when the braille key is pressed (S12), a transition is made to the phrase information setting screen (D60).

  In this case, since it also serves as a kana-kanji conversion instruction at the same time as a braille translation instruction, it is assumed that, for example, as shown in FIG. D60).

  If the meaning of “go to the doctor today” is acceptable, from this state (D60), “Today” and “to the doctor” are confirmed in order (D61 to D62), and “Iku” is left as it is, and the cursor (“↓ )) If it is confirmed by the operation or the enter key operation, all the phrase information of the input ink character string “Kyohisaishii go” is set. Therefore, the phrase information setting (S13) is ended, and the braille translation and Braille conversion are performed. After the processing, the screen changes to the braille information editing screen so that the confirmation and editing can be performed (D64: the same as D27 in FIGS. 9 and 10).

  In addition, in order to convert the label “Iku” to “Go” in the appearance of label creation, which will be described later, when the conversion key is pressed from the state where the above “doctor” is confirmed (D62), “Iku” Since conversion candidates such as “go”, “crawl”, “some”, and “nurture” are displayed, the user can select and confirm the desired “go” by operating the cursor and pressing the enter key (D63). Since all of the phrase information of the character string “Kyohisaishoni” is set, the braille information editing screen is displayed so that the phrase information setting (S13) is completed, and the braille translation and braille conversion processing can be confirmed and edited. (D64).

  In this case, the three clauses “Kyoha”, “Isani” and “Iku” are set. Here, as shown in FIG. 15, it is assumed that the phrase is confirmed by the cursor (“↓”) operation or the enter key operation as it is. Then, the cursor is moved to the “Braille” field and the link state is displayed (D65: same as D30 in FIG. 10), and the cursor K is moved between the “Input” field and the “Braille” field by the cursor operation. Or move within the same line and scroll the contents of each column to the left and right in the figure to check the contents of each line.

  D65 to D68 in FIG. 15 are screens corresponding to D30 to D33 in FIG. 10 described above, although the ink character string is a character string mixed with Kana-Kanji characters. Here, the contents are all OK (see FIG. 15). 5 (S15: No), after confirming it (D65), if it is confirmed as it is (S17), all the operations of the ink braille translation operation (S10) are finished (S18), and the text editing screen with a preview reduced display The preview reduced display R20 which is a reduced version of the preview display screen, the braille translation character string “Kyowa_Isani_Iku”, and the ink character string “go to the doctor today” are displayed (D66).

  The example shown here is also an example in which the same “tape width 24 mm” and “printed / braille label” are created. Therefore, from these states (D66 to D67), when a print key is pressed and a print interruption occurs, when creating a “printed and braille label” with “tape width 24 mm”, FIG. As shown in FIG. 16B, when the ink image Gp2 is printed and the Braille image Gb0 is printed, a label L20 like the appearance image G20 can be created. The label L21 like the appearance image G21 in which the ink-character image Gp2 and the braille image Gb0 as shown in FIG.

  For this reason, in the preview display from the above state (D66 to D67), in the “tape width 24 mm”, the image of the above-described label L20 is previewed (D68). A preview of the image of the label L21 is displayed.

  Next, if the first kana-kanji conversion result “going to the doctor today” (D60: common to FIGS. 14 and 17) differs from the intended desired ink character string, as shown in FIG. (“←”) The operation temporarily cancels the kanji conversion result and returns it to the kana character string “Kyohisaishii” at the time of input (D70). In this case, since the original state is “today” and is the same as the state in which the kana character string “Kyoha” is set as the first phrase candidate (D22 in FIG. 8), one cursor (“←”) operation is performed. As the kanji conversion is canceled, the number of characters in the first phrase is reduced by one character (D70: same as D21 in FIG. 8).

  Here, “Kyo” is converted to Kanji and converted to the first phrase, so when the conversion key is pressed in the above state (D70), from the previous kana-kanji conversion history (by the learning function), for example, As described above, “today” is converted to “today”, and the subsequent kana character string “go to saisha ni” is also converted to, for example, “go to dentist” with reference to the previous kanji conversion result (D71).

  If it is OK to “go to the dentist today” (D71) and “today”, “go to the dentist” and “go” are determined in this order (D71 to D73), the input ink string “ Since all the phrase information of “I am going today” is set, the phrase information setting (S13) is ended, and after the braille translation and braille conversion processing, the screen changes to the braille information editing screen so that it can be confirmed and edited. (D74: same as D44 in FIGS. 12 and 13).

  For example, when it is desired to convert “Kyo” into a kanji character that is not “Today”, for example, “Today” or “Kan” in addition to “Today” in the same manner as “To” in FIG. “K”, “strong”, etc. are displayed as kanji conversion candidates, and can be converted into a desired kanji by selecting and confirming them. The same is true for the “go to school” part.

  In the case described above with reference to FIG. 17, on the above-described braille information editing screen (D74: common to FIGS. 17 and 18), the three phrases “Kyo”, “Haishani” and “Iku” are set. However, as shown in FIG. 18, if it is confirmed as it is, the link state is displayed (D75: the same as D50 in FIG. 13), so the cursor K is moved between the “input” field and the “braille” field. The contents of each column can be checked by scrolling the contents of each column to the left and right in the figure by moving between and within the same line.

  D75 to D78 in FIG. 18 are screens corresponding to D50 to D53 in FIG. 13 described above, although the ink character string is a character string mixed with kana-kanji characters. Here, the contents are all OK (see FIG. 18). 5 (S15: No), after confirming it (D75), if it is confirmed as it is (S17), all the ink braille translation operations (S10) are terminated (S18), and the text editing screen with preview reduction display The preview reduced display R30 which is a reduced version of the preview display screen, the braille translation character string “Kyo_Hisani_Iku”, and the ink character string “go to dentist today” are displayed (D76).

  Since the example shown here is also the same as described above (D76 to D77) from these states, when a print interrupt is generated by the print key, for example, in “tape width 24 mm”, as shown in FIG. A label L30 like the appearance image G30 can be created from the character image Gp3 and the braille image Gb1, and a label L31 like the appearance image G31 shown in FIG.

  For this reason, in the preview display from the above state (D76 to D77), in the “tape width 24 mm”, the image of the above-described label L30 is previewed (D68). A preview of the image of the label L31 is displayed.

  As described above, the label creating apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can perform “character input” as an input for creating Braille characters. In this case, the character string to be input is a normal character string (black ink) commonly used in a word processor or the like. Therefore, even a sighted person who does not have accurate knowledge about Braille translation specifications can easily input.

  Also, the phrase information of the ink character string is set, but the phrase itself is not directly related to Braille, and the ordinary sentence (character string: ink character string) is not unnatural in terms of meaning and pronunciation. It is the smallest unit that is broken down into, and can be set easily regardless of braille knowledge.

  In other words, because it is a unit that does not feel unnatural by putting “sa” or “ne” in the separator, for example, “Today, I go to”, “Today”, “Today”, “To” 3 clauses of “Kyoha”, “Isani” and “Iku” or “Kyo”, “Haishani” and “Iku” of “Kyo”, “Haishani” and “Iku” Can be set easily regardless of braille knowledge.

  And if the segment breaks are clear, Braille translation specifications such as Kana-specific kana and kanji writing can be applied without requiring morphological analysis and syntax analysis, and based on the ink string (ink information) Can create braille strings (braille information). That is, if there is phrase information, the ink character string can be easily translated into braille (and a braille character string can be created).

  Therefore, even a sighted person who does not need an enormous memory and complicated control for analysis or the like and does not have accurate knowledge about Braille translation specifications can easily create Braille information based on ink-print information.

  Since ink information and phrase information are stored in association with each other, braille translation can be easily performed even if not immediately after inputting ink information or setting phrase information. That is, it may be stored once (registered, etc.) and only the braille translation may be performed at a later date.

  In this case, there are roughly two ways of storing phrase information. One is a method of storing the phrase information together with the accompanying information of the ink character information. For example, by storing the data group BD01 of FIG. 6 as a set, the braille processing unit BP02 performs processing (as an input) later or at a later date. It becomes easier to refer to when referencing).

  In addition, instead of storing the phrase information and ink information separately, the other one stores a table (phrase correspondence table) for associating them, and later (or later) braille translation processing. When processing is performed by the part BP02, the phrase information is associated with the ink character information with reference to the phrase correspondence table. In this case, since it is an indirect reference, extra control (processing) for reading or the like is required as compared with storing in a set. For example, when storing a large number of ink character strings, It is easy to secure a storage area on the memory, and if it is associated with a storage address or the like, it can be easily associated and easily referenced.

  First, in the first example described above, a part of the kana character string can be specified and confirmed as a phrase, and information indicating the delimiter (kana definite delimiter information: kana delimiter information) is displayed. It can be stored as at least part of the phrase information. In this case, for example, part-of-speech information can be included, and in particular for a particle (including an auxiliary verb here), whether or not it is at a phrase break and its type, etc., are part of the kana break information (phrase information) ( In the case of the above-mentioned “Kyoha”, “ha” is a particle, and becomes the first phrase with the position as a delimiter, but in the case of “Kyo”, there is no particle. Since it is one phrase, the segment breaks are further clarified, and the information is also effective for particle conversion in braille translation processing, which is subsequent processing.

  In other words, as shown in the first example, for example, “Kyohisaishaigo” can be easily set as phrase information by specifying and confirming it as “Kyowa”, “Saishani”, “Iku”, etc. Thus, the braille can be easily translated into a braille string or the like corresponding to “Kyowa_Isani_Iku”. In other words, the braille string can be easily translated into a braille string that reflects the intention of the input person of the ink string of the kana character string.

  In the second example, a kana-kanji character string can be converted by specifying a part of the kana character string, and information indicating the delimiter at the time of kana-kanji conversion (kanji conversion delimiter information) is a phrase. It can be stored as at least part of the information. The effectiveness of including part-of-speech information in phrase information is the same as in the first example.

  That is, as shown in the second example, for example, “Kyohaishani” “Kyoha” and “Ishani” are designated separately and converted into Kanji characters to “Today's doctor” or “Kyoto” The phrase information can be easily set according to whether "Haishani" is divided into Kanji and converted to "Today's dentist", so that braille strings that match the intention of each Kana-Kanji conversion, in other words, ink letters Braille can be easily translated into a braille string that reflects the intention of the column input person.

  In the second example of kana-kanji conversion, for example, “Kyoha” conversion candidates include “Kyoha” as it is, so if such Kana candidates are selected and confirmed as they are, The same “Kyohisaishii” as in the example can be used as the result of the kana-kanji conversion. For this reason, the same operation as the first example can be performed by using the method of the second example.

  In the case of the second example, the ink character string before kana-kanji conversion is stored as ink character information together with the ink character string after kana-kanji conversion. For example, even if you analyze the Kanji character of “Takada”, it is not fixed whether it will be translated into a braille string equivalent to “Takada” or a braille string equivalent to “Takata”, so it may differ from the intended reading. However, in this example, the kana character string before the kana-kanji conversion (reading kana character string) is memorized and referred to as a character string input person. Can be easily translated into a braille string that reflects Further, the ink character string after the kana-kanji conversion can be used for ink character printing or the like as shown in FIG.

  In common with both the above-described examples (first and second examples), instead of the above-mentioned reading kana character string (or together with the reading kana character string), a pronunciation character string indicating the pronunciation of the ink character string is set. Alternatively, it may be created and stored as part of the phrase information (pronunciation information). For example, if you read “Today's dentist” in the sense of “Today's dentist”, you will read (pronounce) “Today's doctor”. Since it is pronounced as “Kyowai Shani”, it is stored as a pronunciation character string indicating the pronunciation of the ink character string (for example, “Kyowai Shani”). Can be easily translated into a braille string that reflects Note that this phonetic string “Kyowai Shani” etc. is close to the braille translation string “Kyowa_Isani”, so if you refer to it, it will be easy to convert it to a braille translation string, and braille translation will be even easier. become.

  In this case, for example, a phonetic character string expressed by a phonetic symbol or the like can be used instead of a kana (Hiragana or Katakana). In addition, the break of the clause can be indicated by a blank character included in the pronunciation character string. For example, a blank character (space) is included (inserted) in the section of the phrase “Kyosaishani”, and it is memorized as “Kyosaishai”. If you memorize the words, you can clearly indicate the break of the phrase, express the break in pronunciation, and become a character string that is more faithful to the actual pronunciation, and in Braille it is pronounced more than ink Therefore, it becomes closer to the braille character string “Kyowa_Ishani” and the like, and by referring to this, it becomes easier to convert to the braille character string, and the braille translation becomes easier.

  Instead of (or in conjunction with) the phrase information form (such as various delimiter information and pronunciation character string spaces) as described above, the phrase information includes the number-of-characters information of each phrase in the ink string. be able to. In this case, referring to the number-of-characters information included in the phrase information, for example, “Kyo-sha-shani” means “Kyo-ha”, “I-shani” (“Today's doctor”) in [4 characters, 4 characters]. Whether it is translating or translating in the sense of “3”, “5”, “Kyo”, “Haisha ni” (“To today's dentist”), it clearly turns out, reflecting the intention of the ink character input person You can easily translate into braille strings.

  In addition, the number of pronunciations is used instead of the number of characters (“Kyo” etc. is assumed to be one note). For example, in the above example, “Kyoha” and “Isani” are [3 tones, 3 tones], “Kyo” and “Haishani”. Can be included in the phrase information as the number of pronunciations (pronunciation information).

  In the present embodiment, in both the first example and the second example described above, for example, an ink character string “go to today” is input, converted, and “Kyowa_Ishani_Iku” or “Kyo__” is converted. A braille character string such as “Hisani_Iku” is created, and a mass image of the braille character string is created based on the braille character string.

  In this case, the Braille translation specification is used in the conversion from the Braille character string to the Braille character string (processing in the Braille translation processing unit BP02 in FIG. 6) by using the Braille character string serving as an intermediary between the Braille character string and the Braille character string. Of these, only so-called grammatical elements such as kana and shuri are applied, so that only grammatical conversion is performed. Only character-to-mass image conversion, that is, changing the notation method (symbolization or image conversion), so-called image conversion, may be performed, and control and processing can be simplified by dividing and subdividing the processing.

  Here, since a mass image (image data thereof) is created, it can be used for the actual braille embossing process described above, for example, in FIGS.

  In the present embodiment, the above-described ink character string, the braille character string, and the braille character mass image are displayed side by side in the same display screen. Therefore, the input ink character string and the braille translation directly connected to the braille character You can check both the character string and the mass image of the braille string that has been translated into braille. In addition, you can see braille character strings that can be read by sighted people who have direct knowledge of braille characters and have no knowledge of braille characters, so you can easily check the meaning (reading, pronunciation, etc.) it can.

  By the way, the label producing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is an information in the ROM 74 that is divided into information to be divided from those to be divided based on the Braille translation specification for a plurality of conversion candidate information in kana-kanji conversion. Certain division information is further stored, and the label producing apparatus 1 (the braille translation processing unit BP02; see FIG. 6) executes braille translation based on this segmentation information in addition to the above-described phrase information as necessary. Hereinafter, this control will be described as a third example.

  FIG. 19 exemplifies a part of the sorting information stored in the label creating apparatus 1. For example, in the case of “translation” and “role” that Yomi shares in “Yak”, when “Kenzaburo Oe translation” is input as Braille information, it is translated as “Oekenzabrow_yak” according to the division information. On the other hand, if "Oe Kensaburo" is entered, it is translated as "Oekenzaburayak" according to the classification information. Similarly, in “Mr.” and “City”, where Yomi shares “Shi”, “Matsumoto” translates to “Matsumoto_Shi”, and “Matsumoto City” translates to “Matsumotoshi”. As another example, “san”, “mountain”, “product” (“Mr. Akagi” is separated, “Mt. Akagi” and “product of Akagi” are not separated), and Yomi is “ken”. “Ken (person name)” “Prefecture” (“Fukushima Ken” has a share and “Fukushima” has no share).

  Note that the above-described classification information is information for determining whether or not the division candidate is necessary when the conversion candidate information is input as “suffix” in the part-of-speech structure of “noun + suffix”. That is, for example, when “I translated into Japanese” is input as Braille information, the “translation” of “translated” does not function as a suffix, so the segmentation information is not referred to and “Watashiwa_Nihongoni_Yakushita” "Is simply translated into Braille as" Yakushita ".

  Furthermore, the flow of processing in which Braille translation is performed with reference to the segmentation information will be specifically described with reference to FIG. First, as in the first example and the second example described above, on the braille information editing screen D81, for example, “Akagi-san” is input, and then the kana-kanji conversion process is started by pressing the braille translation key. Until conversion is performed, the conversion candidate information display screen D82 is displayed as necessary, and an operation for selecting conversion candidate information is performed. Then, when the user confirms the kana-kanji conversion with “Mr. Akagi” as “Akagiyama”, the label creation device 1 (the braille translation processing unit BP02) translates Braille to “Akagisan” with reference to the segmentation information (see FIG. 19). In addition, the braille character string is displayed as a kana character on the braille information editing screen D81, and an image of the braille cell corresponding to the braille character string is displayed.

  On the other hand, when the user confirms Kana-Kanji conversion with “Mr. Akagi” as “Mr. Akagi”, the label creation device 1 (the braille translation processing unit BP02) refers to the segmentation information (see FIG. 19) and “Akagi_Sun” and Braille After the translation, the braille character string is displayed on the braille information editing screen D81 as a kana, and an image of the braille cell corresponding to the braille character string is displayed. Thereafter, the user inputs an ink character print character string as necessary, and performs an operation for starting printing and stamping. The label L produced by the label producing apparatus 1 in such a procedure is shown in the lower part of the figure. As illustrated, a label L40 is a label created based on ink character information and Braille information “Akagiyama”, and a label L41 is a label created based on ink character information and Braille information “Mr. Akagi”.

  As described in the third example, even when braille translation is not possible with only phrase information set by kana-kanji conversion, it has been described with reference to FIG. By referring to the segmentation information, accurate braille translation according to the Braille translation specification can be performed.

  In the above description, whether or not to perform sharing when the conversion candidate information functions as a suffix, such as “Akagiyama” and “Mr. Akagi”, “Matsumoto City” and “Mr. Matsumoto” are homonyms. Although the configuration for determining whether or not by referring to the classification information has been described, the configuration is not limited to the homonyms, and may be configured to determine the necessity of the division even when the conversion candidate information functions as a prefix. For example, in the “old document” and “Chinese New Year”, the former “old document” must be braille translated as “Cue_Bunsho”, and the latter “Chinese New Year” must be braille translated as “Cue Show Guts”. In this case, “Chinese New Year” is stored as a proper noun, and when braille information having a configuration of “old + noun” is input, if this braille information does not correspond to “Chinese New Year”, the writing is performed, When it falls under “Chinese New Year”, control may be performed such that no split writing is performed.

  Although a specific example has not been described above, the label creating apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment edits the braille character string in the “Braille” field of the Braille information editing screen, for example, thereby editing the braille character string in the “Braille” field. You can also create or change an image. For example, if the displayed braille translation string is different from what you intended, you can modify the created braille translation string or recreate the braille translation string from scratch. Thus, even a sighted person who does not have knowledge of Braille can easily create and change image information of a mass image and Braille information including the image information. It can also be conveniently used when creating a character string that does not directly correspond to the ink character string.

  By the way, in the first example to the third example described above, an example in which Braille information is generated by braille translating an inputted ink character string based on input of a character string for ink characters (an ink character string). The description has been given by taking an example in which the input of character information and the input of Braille information are linked. However, naturally, the input of ink character information and the input of Braille information can be performed individually without being linked.

  Note that the functions or various processing methods (such as the Braille information processing method) employed as the braille information processing apparatus employed in the above-described embodiment are processed not only by the above-described label creation apparatus 1 but also by various apparatuses that can process the program. This program can be applied to a storage medium for storing such a program, and this type of program is stored or read from the storage medium and executed for analysis. Therefore, even a sighted person who does not need an enormous amount of memory and complicated control and does not have accurate knowledge of Braille translation specifications can easily create Braille information based on ink-print information.

  As the above-mentioned storage medium, a CD-ROM, flash ROM, memory card (compact flash (registered trademark), smart media, memory stick, etc.), compact disc, magneto-optical disc, digital versatile disc, flexible disc, etc. are used. be able to. Of course, other modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the scope of the invention.

It is an external appearance perspective view of the closed state of a label production apparatus. It is an external appearance perspective view of the label production apparatus in the open cover state. It is the top view and sectional drawing of a stamping unit. It is a control block diagram of a label production apparatus. It is explanatory drawing of the operation flow of ink braille translation operation. It is explanatory drawing of the data flow at the time of performing ink braille translation processing. It is explanatory drawing of operation at the time of ink-character braille translation by a 1st example. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 7 following FIG. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 7 following FIG. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 7 following FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the label which can be produced in a 1st example. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 7 in the case where phrase information differs. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 12 following FIG. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 7 of the 2nd example. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 14 following FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the label which can be produced in a 2nd example. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 14 in case phrase information differs. It is explanatory drawing similar to FIG. 17 following FIG. It is a figure which illustrates division information. It is a figure explaining the flow of a process which carries out Braille translation of character information.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Label production apparatus (Braille information processing apparatus) 3 ... Apparatus case 5 ... Keyboard 9 ... Display 21 ... Print head 60 ... Control part 61 ... Operation part 62 ... Ink character printing part 63 ... Cutting part 64 ... Braille stamping part 65 ... Detector 72 ... Driver B ... Braille BDxx ... Data group BP ... Processor BP01 ... Phrase information setting part BP02 ... Braille translator BP03 ... Braille converter C ... Tape cartridge Dxx ... Display screen Eb ... Braille stamping area Engraved area) Ep ... Ink printing area (printed area) Gxx ... Image Lxx ... Label P ... Ink letter T ... Tape

Claims (16)

An input means for inputting character information indicating a character string for ink;
Clause setting means for setting clause information indicating a clause break of the character string;
Storage means for storing the character information and the phrase information in association with each other;
A Braille information processing apparatus comprising: Braille translation means that refers to the phrase information based on the character information and creates Braille information indicating a Braille string corresponding to the character string according to Braille translation specifications.   The braille information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the phrase information together with accompanying information of the character information.   The braille information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit includes a phrase correspondence table storage unit that stores a phrase correspondence table that associates the phrase information with the character information. The phrase setting means includes a kana delimitation determining means for designating at least a part of the kana character string as one of the phrases when at least a part of the character string is a kana character string;
The braille information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the phrase information includes kana break information indicating a break when the phrase is designated. The phrase setting means performs kana-kanji conversion by designating at least a part of the kana character string when at least a part of the inputted character string is a kana character string, and includes at least a part of kanji Kana-kanji conversion means for creating a kanji mixed character string as one of the phrases,
The braille information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the phrase information includes kanji conversion delimiter information indicating a delimiter for kana-kanji conversion for creating the phrase. The kana-kanji conversion means has a plurality of conversion candidate information for the kana character string, and performs the kana-kanji conversion based on a selection result of the plurality of conversion candidate information,
The storage means divides the plurality of pieces of conversion candidate information into those to be divided and those not to be written,
6. The Braille information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the Braille translation unit creates the Braille information based on a selection result of the conversion candidate information and the classified information. A Braille information processing device that translates Braille into input character information,
Kana-kanji conversion means for converting kana-kanji to kana-kanji based on a selection result of the plurality of conversion candidate information;
Braille translation means for creating the Braille information corresponding to the character information according to the Braille translation specification, the character information,
A plurality of conversion candidate information for each of the parts of speech, and storage means for storing division information obtained by dividing the division candidate information into those that are not divided, and
The Braille information processing apparatus, wherein the Braille translation unit creates the Braille information based on a selection result of the conversion candidate information and the classification information. The Braille translation means includes
A braille translation string creating means for creating a braille translation string corresponding to a pronounced string by reading the braille string of the created braille information as it is,
2. Braille conversion means for creating image information of a mass image of the Braille string as at least a part of the Braille information based on the Braille character string and the Braille translation specification. Braille information processing apparatus according to any one of 7 to 7.   9. The braille information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising display means for displaying the character string of the character information, the braille character string, and the mass image. The Braille translation means includes
The braille information processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a braille character string editing unit that creates or changes the mass image by editing the braille character string. A braille information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A tape processing apparatus, comprising: Braille embossing means for embossing the Braille translated into Braille on a processing tape.   The tape processing apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising a printing unit that prints ink characters on the processing tape based on the character information.   Input character information indicating a character string for ink characters, set phrase information indicating a segment break of the character string, store the character information and the phrase information in association with each other, and store the character information The Braille information processing method is characterized in that Braille information indicating a Braille string corresponding to the character string is created according to Braille translation specifications with reference to the phrase information. A braille information processing method that translates braille into input character information using the kana-kanji conversion function of the Japanese document creation function,
For a plurality of conversion candidate information for each part of speech of the kana-kanji conversion function, a part to be divided and a part to be not divided are distinguished,
A Braille information processing method, wherein the Braille translation is executed based on a selection result of the conversion candidate information and the classified information.   The program for functioning a computer as each means in the braille information processing apparatus or tape processing apparatus in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 12.   16. A storage medium storing the program according to claim 15 so as to be readable by a program processable device.

Images