JP2019128846A - Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow even a user who is a visually impaired person requiring a screen reader to operate a function not designed for a screen reader when the user intends to do so.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus comprises: a voice output control unit that controls voice output means to output a voice for operating on an operation screen related to programs; a voice explanation corresponding information acquisition unit that acquires voice explanation corresponding information associated for each of the programs; and an operation screen control unit that controls display of the programs on the operation screen according to the voice explanation corresponding information acquired by the voice explanation corresponding information acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a screen reader technology that assists the operation of a device by a visually impaired person such as a weakly-sighted person, a color blind person, or a blind person by reading out operation information of the apparatus by voice. The device operation information is information that is necessary for visually impaired people to operate the device by voice. The operation information includes information explaining how to use the device or text information displayed on the display screen of the device. Etc. are included. When the administrator of the device enables the setting of the screen reader of the device, the operation information of the device can be read aloud, and even the visually impaired person can operate the device.

  Some image processing apparatuses execute processing in a dedicated display mode according to the degree of a disability such as a healthy person, a moderate disability person, a severe visual impairment person and the like. First, in the authentication process, the image processing apparatus displays a password input screen with good visibility for persons with moderate disabilities, and omits the password input process for persons with severe visual disabilities. Through the authentication process, the image processing apparatus is activated in a dedicated display mode for a visually impaired person such as a low vision person or a color blind person, and executes a process under the restriction of a predetermined security-related function (Patent Document 1). reference).

  However, functions that are not compatible with conventional screen readers prevent the transition to the function by hiding the function button or application icon corresponding to the function from the operation screen, so that the user can support the surroundings. There is a problem that even in the case where the user can obtain or the case where the eyesight can be corrected, the user can not operate the function that is not compatible with the screen reader.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to operate a function that is not compatible with a screen reader when the user intends even if the user is a visually impaired person who needs a screen reader. To do.

  In order to solve the problems described above, the information processing apparatus controls an audio output unit to output an audio for operating on the operation screen according to the program by an audio output unit, and an audio explanation corresponding to each program A voice explanation correspondence information acquisition unit for acquiring information, and an operation screen control unit for controlling display of a program on the operation screen according to the voice explanation correspondence information acquired by the voice explanation correspondence information acquisition unit. Have.

  Even if the user is a visually impaired person who requires a screen reader, the user can operate the non-screen reader function when the user intends.

1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration example of an MFP 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration example of an MFP 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a figure which shows the function structural example of the operating device 20 in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the application information table in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process which changes to the function not corresponding to a screen reader in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process which concerns on the accessibility level guidance in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a display of a screen reader non-corresponding | compatible function in embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram for demonstrating the process recovered from the function incompatible with a screen reader in an embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the MFP 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The MFP 1 (Multifunction Peripheral) is an apparatus having two or more different functions among a plurality of functions such as a copy function, a scanner function, a printer function, and a fax function. The MFP 1 is not limited to a device having two or more functions, and may be a printer device having a single function. The MFP 1 may also be an apparatus or system such as an electronic blackboard or an electronic conference system.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the MFP 1 includes a main body 10 and an operation device 20. The main body 10 is an example of the “image processing apparatus”, and includes an image processing unit that performs copying or scanning, an image forming unit that forms an image, and the like. The main body 10 receives an operation command from the outside, and controls the image processing unit or the image forming unit according to the operation command.

  The operation device 20 is shown as an example of the “information processing apparatus” according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation device 20 provides a user interface for the user to set or operate the main body 10. The main body 10 and the operation device 20 are communicably connected by wire or wireless, and transmit / receive operation commands or data via the communication path 30 (see FIG. 2). The user transmits an operation command to the main body 10 by the operation device 20, and the main body 10 receives the operation command and executes the image processing or the image forming process.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the MFP 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 100, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 101, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 102, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 103, a communication I / F 104, a connection. An I / F 105 and an engine 106 are included. Each hardware is connected to each other via a system bus 107.

  The CPU 100 is a central processing unit that executes arithmetic processing or control processing. The CPU 100 reads various programs stored in the ROM 101 or the HDD 103 into the RAM 102, executes arithmetic processing or control processing, and centrally controls the main body 10.

  The ROM 101 is a non-volatile memory that stores a fixed program (for example, BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)). The RAM 102 is a volatile memory that the CPU 100 uses as a work area or the like in various processing. The HDD 103 is an auxiliary storage device that stores an OS (Operating System), application programs, large-capacity data, and the like. In the present specification, “application” refers to “application”.

  The communication I / F 104 is an interface for connecting the main unit 10 to a communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

  The connection I / F 105 is an interface of USB (Universal Serial Bus) standard or the like which communicates with the operation device 20 via the communication path 30. The connection between the main body 10 and the operation device 20 is not limited to the USB, and may be another bus or LAN. Further, the communication path 30 is not limited to a wired line and may be wireless.

  The engine 106 includes an image processing controller, a scanner for scanning and reading an original, and a plotter for printing on a recording medium such as a sheet.

  2 includes a CPU 200, a ROM 201, a RAM 202, a flash memory 203, a communication I / F 204, a connection I / F 205, a touch panel 206, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 207, an audio output unit 208, and a card reading unit 209. Have Each hardware is connected to each other via a system bus 210.

  The CPU 200 is a central processing unit that executes arithmetic processing and control processing. The CPU 200 reads various programs stored in the ROM 201 or the flash memory 203 to the RAM 202, executes arithmetic processing or control processing, and controls the operation device 20 as a whole.

  The ROM 201 is a non-volatile memory that stores a fixed program (such as BIOS). A RAM 202 is a volatile memory that the CPU 200 uses as a work area for various processes. The flash memory 203 is an auxiliary storage device that stores an OS, application programs, large-capacity data, and the like.

  The communication I / F 204 is an interface for the operation device 20 to connect to a communication network such as a LAN or VPN.

  The connection I / F 205 is an interface such as a USB standard that communicates with the main body 10 via the communication path 30. The connection between the main body 10 and the operation device 20 is not limited to the USB, and may be another bus or LAN. Further, the communication path 30 is not limited to a wired line and may be wireless.

  The touch panel 206 is an input device that detects a touch position by the operator on the screen of the LCD 207 and notifies the CPU 200 of information on the detected touch position. In addition to the touch panel 206, a hardware key or the like may be provided as the input device.

  The LCD 207 has, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and is an example of a display unit that displays screen information output from the CPU 200 to the LCD 207. In addition to the liquid crystal, an organic EL (Electro Luminescence), an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a lamp or the like may be used as the display means.

  The audio output unit 208 includes a D / A conversion circuit, an amplifier, a speaker, and the like. The audio output unit 208 converts the digital audio signal output from the CPU 200 into an analog audio signal, and amplifies the converted analog audio signal to propagate the sound from the speaker into the air.

  The card reading unit 209 is a card reading device that reads authentication information from a personal identification card that stores the authentication information. The personal identification card is, for example, a magnetic card or an IC card.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a functional configuration of the operation device 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation device 20 is realized by the touch panel 206, the LCD 207, and the like shown in FIG. 2 with the function of a display device that provides an interface that can be directly operated by a user and that can use the function of the device via an application. The applications A1 to A4 are application software, and are installed on the operation device 20 to realize an interface for providing a plurality of functions to the user. Although four apps of apps A1 to A4 are illustrated as an example, many more apps may be installed on the operation device 20. The portal applications PA1 and PA2 are application software that provides an entry point to transition to another application or function. For example, a home application such as a launcher is a portal application. The portal application acquires accessibility information of the application of the transition destination from the application information management unit 308, and performs processing according to the accessibility information. Although two applications of application PA1 and PA2 are illustrated as an example, many more portal applications may be installed in the operation device 20.

  The setting control unit 302 changes the setting of the screen reader function according to the authentication state of the user, associates the setting for each user using the personal information managing unit 303, and notifies the application of the screen reader setting change.

  The authentication control unit 301 notifies the setting control unit 302 of an authentication state including the login state of the user.

  The personal information management unit 303 writes and calls screen reader setting information for each user in the personal information DB 304. The personal information DB 304 stores setting information for each user.

  The text-to-speech control unit 305 controls detection of the focus position in the user interface and text-to-speech using the text-to-speech engine 306 in order to realize the screen reader function. The text-to-speech engine 306 converts text information into voice data and reads it out. The voice output unit 307 is realized by the voice output unit 208 shown in FIG. 2 and outputs the voice information generated by the text-to-speech engine 306 as voice.

  The application information management unit 308 writes and calls information of each application installed on the operation device 20 in the application information DB 309. The application information can include metadata for each application, and the metadata includes accessibility information, that is, information such as all screen reader compatible, screen reader incompatible, or accessibility unknown.

  The application information DB 309 stores the accessibility and the like of each application or each function installed in the operation device 20.

  The personal information DB 304 or the application information DB 309 may not be included in the operation device 20, and may be disposed, for example, on a server via a network.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the application information table in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, an application information table including accessibility information is generated and managed for the applications installed in the operation device 20 from the metadata registered for each application. If there is no accessibility level information in the app metadata, it is treated as accessibility unknown.

  In the example of the metadata of the application shown in FIG. 4, the “application A” whose ID is “1” has the accessibility level “full screen reader correspondence”. The “application B” whose ID is “2” has an accessibility level of “screen reader incompatible”. The "app C" whose ID is "3" has an accessibility level of "unknown".

  When an operation is performed on each function via the portal application, the portal application acquires the accessibility level of the operation target application acquired from the application information management unit 308, and performs control set according to the level.

  FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of transitioning to the screen reader non-corresponding function in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In step S101, the user performs an application activation operation on the portal application PA1. Subsequently, the portal application PA1 acquires, from the application information management unit 308, the accessibility level of the application that has been activated (S102).

  In step S103, the portal application PA1 determines the acquired accessibility level. Since the activated application is a screen reader incompatible function, the accessibility level is determined to be “screen reader incompatible”, and the portal application PA1 transmits a voice guidance command to the text-to-speech engine 306 (S104). . Subsequently, the text-to-speech engine 306 provides function transition confirmation voice guidance to the user (S105). For example, the function transition confirmation voice guidance is a message such as “A transition to a function not compatible with the screen reader is made, but is it really transitioned?”.

  If it is the transition intended by the user, the process proceeds to step S106a, and the user inputs transition permission into the portal application PA1. For example, if the user does not normally shift to a function that the screen reader does not support because of low vision, but the eyesight is corrected with glasses, etc. Then, there may be a case where a transition is made to a function that does not support a screen reader. Subsequently, the portal application PA1 makes a transition to the transition-permitted function (S107).

  On the other hand, if the transition is not intended by the user, the process proceeds to step S107a, and the user inputs transition cancellation to the portal application PA1. For example, there may be a case where an attempt is made to shift to a function that does not support a screen reader unintentionally due to an operation error or the like.

  FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining processing relating to accessibility level guidance in the embodiment of the present invention. A process for guiding how much the function of the sensor device of the function item corresponds to the screen reader when the function item displayed on the operation device 20 is selected when the screen reader is valid will be described.

  In step S201, the user selects a function item on the portal application PA1. Subsequently, the portal application PA1 subsequently acquires the accessibility level of the application corresponding to the function item selected from the application information management unit 308 (S202). In step S203, the portal application PA1 determines the acquired accessibility level. The portal application PA1 transmits a voice guidance command to the text-to-speech engine 306 according to the acquired accessibility level “screen reader not supported”, “screen reader fully supported”, “unknown”, or the like (S204). Subsequently, the text-to-speech engine 306 performs accessibility level voice guidance for the user (S205). For example, the accessibility level voice guidance is a message such as “function name (app name, this function is fully supported / partially supported by screen readers / not supported / unknown”).

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a display of screen reader incompatible functions in the embodiment of the present invention. An example of a change in the user interface when restricting functions that do not support the screen reader when the screen reader is valid will be described.

  FIG. 7A is an example of a screen display on the operation device 20 at the normal time. All function buttons, function items, etc. are displayed.

  FIG. 7B is an example of screen display on the operation device 20 when the screen reader is valid. The function button of the function that is not compatible with the screen reader, the icon of the application or the function item is grayed out and displayed. Note that the grayout may not be displayed. In FIG. 7B, the function button, the application icon, or the function item of the function that does not support the screen reader is a grayed-out example, but may be indicated by other display changes. For example, the operation device 20 may display a function button, an application icon, or a function item that does not support a screen reader, such as changing the color from normal or changing the color to high contrast. Since the user interface that is easy to distinguish differs depending on the visual impairment, a plurality of patterns of user interface changes may be prepared.

  FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of recovering from the screen reader non-corresponding function in the embodiment of the present invention.

  In step S301 in which the screen reader non-support function application is not activated, the user performs an operation for activating the screen reader non-support application from the portal application PA1. Subsequently, the portal application PA1 acquires, from the application information management unit 308, the accessibility level of the application that has been activated (S302).

  In step S303, the portal application PA1 determines the recovery method according to the acquired accessibility level. Since the activated application is a screen reader incompatible function, the accessibility level is determined as “screen reader incompatible”, and the portal application PA1 transmits a voice guidance command to the text-to-speech engine 306 (S304). . Subsequently, the text-to-speech engine 306 provides the recovery method voice guidance to the user (S305). For example, the recovery method voice guidance is a message such as "This function is not compatible with screen readers. Please go back to the previous function. If you played this voice again please do it." . Here, the recovery method is a method that can be performed without relying on vision, such as physical key pressing or voice recognition. The user can execute an operation of starting recovery based on the recovery method voice guidance.

  As another case, in step S401 in which the screen reader incompatible function application is activated, the user performs a recovery method voice guidance reproduction operation on the screen reader incompatible application A1. The reproduction operation is a method that can be executed without relying on visual sense such as physical key pressing or voice recognition. Subsequently, the screen reader non-support application A1 transmits a recovery method voice guidance reproduction request to the portal application PA1 (S402).

  In step S403, the portal application PA1 determines a recovery method from the screen reader incompatible application A1. The portal application PA1 transmits a voice guidance command to the text-to-speech engine 306 (S404). Subsequently, the text-to-speech engine 306 performs recovery method voice guidance for the user (S405). In step S405, the output voice message may be the same as in step S305.

  As described above, when a function that is not compatible with a screen reader is activated or in a state where the function is activated, the recovery method is output as a voice message, so that it is possible to transition to a function or application that is compatible with a screen reader.

  As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the user attempts to make a transition to a function that does not support the screen reader while the screen reader is enabled, the function transition confirmation sound Output a message to confirm the user's intention. It is possible to perform transition permission when the transition is intended by the user, and to cancel transition when the transition is not intended by the user. Further, by determining the accessibility level of the application that is about to be activated and outputting a voice message at the accessibility level, the user can check whether the application that is about to be activated is compatible with a screen reader. In addition, when a function that is not compatible with a screen reader is activated or has been activated, a recovery method can be output as a voice message, thereby making it possible to transition to a function or application that is compatible with a screen reader.

  That is, even if the user is a visually impaired person who requires a screen reader, the user can operate the non-screen reader function when the user intends.

The program executed by the information processing system according to the present embodiment is a file in an installable format or an executable format, and is a compact disk (read only memory), a flexible disk, or a CD-R (CD-ROM). It is recorded and provided in a computer readable recording medium such as Compact Disk-Recordable), DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) and the like.

  Furthermore, the program executed by the information processing system of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Further, the program executed by the information processing system of the present embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, the program of the present embodiment may be configured to be provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.

  Each function of the embodiment described above can be realized by one or a plurality of processing circuits. Here, the “processing circuit” in this specification means a processor programmed to execute each function by software, such as a processor implemented by an electronic circuit, or designed to execute each function described above. It includes devices such as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and conventional circuit modules.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, an application or a function is an example of a program. The accessibility level is an example of audio explanation correspondence information. The portal application PA1 is an example of a voice output control unit, a voice explanation corresponding information acquisition unit, an operation screen control unit, or a voice output control unit. An icon or function item is an example of an item.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to such specific embodiment, In the range of the summary of this invention described in the claim, various deformation | transformation・ Change is possible.

1 MFP
10 Main unit 20 Operation panel 100 CPU
101 ROM
102 RAM
103 HDD
104 Communication I / F
105 Connection I / F
106 engine 200 CPU
201 ROM
202 RAM
203 Flash memory 204 Communication I / F
205 Connection I / F
206 Touch Panel 207 LCD
208 Audio output unit 209 Card reading unit 301 Authentication control unit 302 Setting control unit 303 Personal information management unit 304 Personal information DB
305 Text-to-speech control unit 306 Text-to-speech engine 307 Audio output unit 308 Application information management unit 309 Application information DB
A1 to A4 app PA1, PA2 portal app

JP 2007-28202 A

Claims (8)

An audio output control unit configured to control the audio output unit to output audio for operating on the operation screen according to the program;
A voice explanation correspondence information acquisition unit for obtaining voice explanation correspondence information associated with each program;
An operation screen control unit that controls display of a program on the operation screen according to the voice description correspondence information acquired by the voice explanation correspondence information acquisition unit;
An information processing apparatus comprising:   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the voice explanation correspondence information includes information indicating whether or not voice for operating on the operation screen related to the program can be output.   When the voice explanation correspondence information does not correspond to voice for operation on the operation screen related to the program, the operation screen control unit displays an item on the operation screen for starting the program associated with the voice explanation correspondence information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the information processing apparatus is hidden or grayed out.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the voice output control unit outputs a voice prompting an operation on the operation screen based on the voice description correspondence information. The voice output control unit outputs a voice prompting an operation on the operation screen based on the voice explanation corresponding information associated with the program to be activated.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the voice explanation correspondence information does not correspond to a voice for operation on an operation screen related to the program, it is possible to select whether or not to start the program to be started. The voice output control unit outputs a voice prompting an operation on the operation screen based on the voice description correspondence information associated with the activated program.
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the voice explanation correspondence information does not correspond to a voice for operation on an operation screen related to the program, the information processing apparatus can transition to a program corresponding to a voice for operation on the operation screen related to the program. . An audio output control procedure for controlling the audio output means to output audio for operating on the operation screen according to the program;
A voice explanation correspondence information acquisition procedure for obtaining voice explanation correspondence information associated with each program;
An operation screen control procedure for controlling display of a program on the operation screen according to the voice description correspondence information acquired by the voice explanation correspondence information acquisition procedure;
The information processing method characterized by performing. A program that can be executed by an information processing apparatus,
An audio output control procedure for controlling the audio output means to output audio for operating on the operation screen according to the program;
A voice explanation correspondence information acquisition procedure for obtaining voice explanation correspondence information associated with each program;
An operation screen control procedure for controlling display of a program on the operation screen according to the voice description correspondence information acquired by the voice explanation correspondence information acquisition procedure;
The information processing apparatus executes the program.

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