JPH10105048A - Braille information transmission device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a visually handicapped person to securely and subjectively read characters by showing the same information repeatedly and updating the shown information in response to operation by a touch reader. SOLUTION: When the touch reader depresses a key input part, a voltage corresponding to the displacement quantity of a key and its means value is generated by a variable resistor 4. A braille information update signal generation part 5 generates no update signal unless the key is depressed completely. A driving signal control part 10 counts a clock and a showing driving signal generation part 11 A/D converts a code stored in a ROM to generate a driving signal (c). Logical levels corresponding to projections of a raised letter which is read out of character string information stored in an electronic character input memory part 8 and converted by outputs by pins by a shown output stimulation pin selection part 9 are ANDed by a gate circuit 12 with the driving signal of the showing driving signal generation part 11, a stimulation pin driving part 13 performs voltage amplification and drives an actuator 2 to move up and down a stimulation pin 1, thereby repeatedly showing one character until the input key is completely pressed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a Braille information transmitting device which can also serve as a data input device for a word processor, a personal computer or various key input type information devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a visually impaired person obtains information using electronic characters, a speech synthesizer or an electronic Braille information transmitting device has been used. The stimulus pins of one character Braille composed of six points are maintained in an upwardly convex state, and the characters are moved by actively moving the finger by a static presentation method (hereinafter referred to as static presentation) that does not return to the original position. As a tactile (active tactile) method, a Braille transmission device (hereinafter referred to as method 1) constituted by a braille presentation mechanism for 30 to 40 characters per line has been put to practical use. The tactile reader can sequentially read the braille by moving his or her finger back and forth or left and right, and can read tactually while breaking line by line.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a braille presentation mechanism for one character. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 2 denotes an actuator of a bimorph type piezoelectric element, and reference numeral 1 denotes a stimulating pin installed at the tip of the actuator. 6 according to Braille characters
A voltage is applied to an actuator that drives each stimulus pin at a point, and the stimulus pin is moved up and down using electrostriction.

Further, a Braille transmission device (hereinafter referred to as system 2) which presents Braille one character at a time using the Braille presentation mechanism for one character in the Braille transmission device has been put to practical use. As shown in FIG. 6, it is incorporated in a six-point key input device that has been put into practical use for a word processor for the visually impaired, and the input characters from the six input keys are immediately presented by a braille transmission mechanism 31 for one character. It is mainly used to confirm key input. This apparatus can also present the document data by the braille presentation mechanism 31 for one character for confirmation. In this case, it is a passive tactile method in which one word or all sentences are continuously and statically presented at a preset presentation speed, and the finger is placed on the presentation unit. This device also has a function of operating a separately provided key to stop presenting during tactile reading, thereby statically presenting only one character at the time of stopping for a long time.

As another means for transmitting Braille information, a tactile stimulus element such as a piezoelectric element is embedded in a six-point input key of a word processor for the visually impaired as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-43803. There is a Braille key input device (hereinafter referred to as method 3) which has both an input function and a Braille presentation function and confirms input characters with a six-point input key. This method 3
Is for confirming the input character information by the six-point input key on the same six-point input key. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-43803 discloses a method of statically presenting a character one by one for reading a document;
A dynamic presentation method has been proposed in which a tactile stimulus pin is driven by a short pulse signal and the stimulus pin reciprocates up and down within a certain time.

On the other hand, in the Braille presenting apparatuses of the systems 2 and 3, when presenting a character, a key operation for feeding one character, a key operation for changing the presentation speed, or a reconfirmation of the presented character is performed. A re-presentation operation or the like is performed by a plurality of key inputs provided for other purposes.

[0007]

When a visually impaired person perceives Braille or the like, it is presented by static presentation as compared to a passive tactile method in which a tactile receptor such as a finger is tactile without moving. It is well known that active palpation, in which an object is traced with a finger, is superior. In the prior art, scheme 1 is active tactile. On the other hand, methods 2 and 3 are configured with a small number of braille presentation mechanisms, and are therefore basically suitable for passive tactile sensing. However, in the system in which the presented characters are automatically updated sequentially in static presentation, the stimulus pin is basically based on maintaining the same unevenness until the next character is presented for each character. Therefore, the point that was convex when the previous character was presented has no change in the stimulus to the finger, and may not be able to be read by passive palpation. It had to be kept moving, and there was a problem with long-term tactile reading such as fatigue of the fingertips.

In the method 3 in which the presented characters are automatically updated sequentially by dynamic presentation in which the stimulating pin is driven by a pulse signal in a short time, passive palpation is not necessary and the finger does not need to be moved. Since the presented braille is updated irrespective of the reader's intention, there is a problem that the possibility of occurrence of missed reading is high. As described above, all of the methods 2 and 3 are devised with a view to confirming the input characters of a word processor, so that those unfamiliar with tactile reading have a problem as a braille information transmission device for smoothly reading braille sentences. Was.

On the other hand, in order to prevent missed reading,
A method is conceivable in which one key operation is associated with one dynamic presentation, and a key operation is repeatedly performed until one can be recognized to read and present one character many times. In this case, a new problem arises that it is necessary to repeat the key input operation for presentation many times until the character can be recognized. In addition to this, when the presentation state is changed while reading the braille, it is necessary to operate the keys installed for changing the state. Therefore, in particular, six to eight fingers are placed on the braille presentation surface and touched. Reading method 3 has a problem that the finger must be released from the braille presentation surface during tactile reading unless the state change key is set within a range that can be operated by the remaining fingers.

As described above, in the conventional method of transmitting braille information by passive tactile sensing, the same character is automatically and repeatedly presented until the tactile reader can recognize the character, and the character is updated based on the operation after the recognition. There is no method and no method of intermittent presentation in repeated presentation, and the presentation cycle in which the stimulus pin moves up and down in dynamic presentation of one character is continuously adjusted during tactile reading, and the character update operation is performed by the braille presentation unit. Nothing could be done on the six-point input key.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art in a Braille information transmission system for converting digitized character information such as a television teletext, an electronic document, and a word processor into Braille and transmitting the Braille through a tactile sense. And to provide a Braille information transmission device that is easy to read for visually impaired persons and that can read characters in a reliable and independent manner with a small number of Braille presentation mechanisms, even though it is a passive tactile method. It is.

[0012]

To achieve this object, the present invention provides a Braille information transmitting apparatus for transmitting Braille information to a tactile receptor such as a finger by a passive tactile method. A drive signal generation unit for repeatedly generating a drive signal corresponding to the presentation time of one character, a drive signal control unit for generating a control signal for generating a display drive signal from a reference clock, and generating a display information update signal A braille information update signal generating section, and a braille information reading control section that generates an address signal for accessing information on the memory, and repeatedly presents the same information until the presentation information is updated,
The present invention is characterized in that the presentation information is updated by a tactile reader's operation.

According to a preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus further includes a drive signal counter unit for counting the number of times of the presentation drive signal generation and a presentation period gate signal generation unit, and the presentation drive signal repeatedly generated. The present invention is characterized in that an intermittent presentation drive signal is generated from the controller to intermittently present Braille information.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is an operation block diagram for explaining the configuration of a Braille information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention from the operation thereof, and FIG. 2 is a Japanese Patent Application No. 8-252765 filed by the present applicant and used in the present invention apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a circuit configuration in which an intermittent presentation function is added to the basic function shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a Braille presentation key. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device of the present invention having a portion.

First, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 8-252 shown in FIG.
The operation of the Braille information transmitting device using the input keys described in No. 765 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 3 denotes a key input unit having the stimulating pin 1 and the actuator 2 shown in FIG. Reference numeral 4 denotes a resistor whose resistance value changes according to the displacement of the input key. Reference numerals 1 to 4 are constituted by the input keys described in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-252765. Reference numeral 5 denotes a Braille information update signal generation unit that generates an update signal of Braille information by switching, which is an original input function of the key input unit 3, and reference numeral 6 detects a pressed displacement of the key input unit 3 and stimulates it. A presentation period control clock generation unit that generates a reference clock for determining the period of the drive signal of pin 1, and is configured by a VF (voltage-frequency) conversion circuit. The reference number 7 can be controlled by software in a Braille information readout control unit for determining a presentation character when presentation information is sequentially output from the electronic character input memory unit 8.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for reading braille information. An update signal is generated when the switching ON associated with the key press is detected while the key press amount is constantly detected. Reference numeral 8 denotes an electronic character input memory unit for inputting and storing electronic character information stored in a text broadcast or a disk, and reference numeral 9 denotes a presentation output stimulating pin for selecting a stimulating pin 1 driven corresponding to six points of Braille. The selection unit comprises a ROM for converting braille codes into six points. Reference numeral 11 denotes a presentation drive signal generation unit that generates a signal for driving the stimulus pin, and is configured by, for example, a ROM that stores a drive signal waveform.
Reference numeral 10 denotes a drive signal control unit for performing control for generating a periodic presentation drive signal using the control signal from the Braille information update signal generation unit as a start pulse. For example, a ROM in which the presentation drive signal generation unit 11 stores a waveform In the case of (1), it consists of a cyclic counter. FIG. 8 is a time chart for performing an operation of reading information from the electronic character input memory unit 8 in response to a drive signal generation and a Braille information update signal.

Reference numeral 12 denotes an analog gate circuit that mixes a presentation drive signal and a presentation output stimulus pin selection signal of ON or OFF, reference numeral 13 denotes a stimulation pin drive unit that drives an actuator that moves up and down a stimulation pin, and reference numeral 14 denotes a stimulation pin drive unit. Switch SW1 for switching between Braille input mode and tactile reading mode
It is. Reference numeral 15 denotes an input Braille-character conversion unit that converts Braille information input during a Braille input operation into a character code, stores the code, and outputs the code to an external information device.
And a buffer memory. Reference number 16 is 6
The input of the Braille-character conversion unit 15 is performed by operating the point input key.
It is a key input read control unit that reads out the OM and generates a trigger pulse signal that controls the buffer output timing.
For example, when each key is not pressed simultaneously, the output timing is adjusted so that different character codes are not read. Reference numeral 17 denotes a constant frequency clock generator.

In FIG. 4, reference numerals 1 and 3 denote stimulating pins and a key input unit, and a braille presentation mechanism integrating the key input switch and the braille information presentation unit shown in FIG. It is arranged in the presentation case 28. Reference numeral 14 switches the Braille data source to be presented,
A changeover switch for selecting a tactile reading mode and a Braille input mode of electronic character data, a reference numeral 29 is a cable for transmitting and receiving signals to and from an external information device, and a reference numeral 30 is information for inputting and outputting information such as a Braille information transmitting device and a computer. This is a connector that connects the device.

Next, the operation of the Braille information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In a mode in which digitized character data such as a document from an information device is read, a switch 14 is provided.
(SW1) selects the a side. Braille information of the external information device is stored in the electronic character input memory unit 8. In the example of FIG. 1, a tactile reader depresses one or a plurality of preset key input sections, and a voltage corresponding to the displacement of one key or the average value of the displacements of a plurality of keys is changed. It is generated by the vessel 4. The generated voltage according to the displacement amount is always detected, and the VF conversion circuit of the presentation cycle control clock generator 6 generates the presentation cycle control clock according to the voltage (FIG. 8A). Unless the key is completely depressed, the Braille information update signal generator 5 does not generate an update signal. The drive signal controller 10 counts the clock by a cyclic counter, and the presented drive signal generator 11 D / A converts the code stored in the ROM in accordance with a predetermined count address, for example, as shown in FIG. Such an analog trapezoidal drive signal c (FIG. 8) is generated. The drive signal is repeatedly generated every cycle of the cyclic counter according to the clock frequency. FIG. 8D shows a reset signal of the cyclic counter, and this cycle is the minimum unit time for presenting one character.

A logic level corresponding to the six points of Braille protrusion read out from the character string information stored in the electronic character input memory unit 8 and converted into an output for each pin by the presentation output stimulus pin selection unit 9 1 ″ is ANDed with the drive signal of the presentation drive signal generator 11 by the gate circuit 12, the voltage is amplified by the stimulus pin driver 13, and the actuator 2 such as a voltage element
To drive the stimulation pin 1 up and down according to the drive signal. Although one character is presented in this manner, this operation is repeated until the tactile reader completely presses the input key to update the character.

When the input key is completely depressed for updating, the switch 14 (SW1) selects the a side, so that the Braille information update signal generator 5 generates a pulse signal based on the switching pulse. e (FIG. 8). The update signal is sent to the Braille information read control unit 7, and the address of the character string stored in the electronic character input memory unit 8 is increased by 1 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the next braille is output from the ROM of the presentation output stimulus pin selection unit 9, the counter of the drive signal control unit 10 is reset, and the operation of presenting the next character is started.

As described above, when the touch reader recognizes a character and presses a key, the character is sequentially updated, and the same character is repeatedly displayed until the next key is pressed. Next, an intermittent presentation method will be described with reference to FIGS. In the presentation method, the repetition of the same character is presented by a continuous drive signal, so that the fingertip becomes a vibratory stimulus.
In this case, intermittent presentation is better than continuous presentation in terms of adaptation of finger sensation to continuous stimulation and recovery of fingertip sensation to long-time vibratory stimulation. For this,
The circuit block section shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1 is replaced with the circuit block section shown in FIG. 3, and characters are intermittently presented.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 33 denotes a drive signal counter for counting the reset signal of the drive signal control unit 10, reference numeral 34 denotes a display period gate signal generation unit, and reference numeral 35 denotes a display drive signal and a display period detection signal. This is an intermittent presentation gate circuit that outputs a logical product. Drive signal control unit 1
The reset signal (FIG. 8d) generated every cycle by the cyclic address counter of 0 is counted by the drive signal counter 33. The counter presentation period gate signal generator 34 detects “0” when only the period of the value “0” of the n-ary counter is set as the presentation period, and makes the presentation state active. For example, when n = 3, a gate signal shown in FIG. 8H is generated. If a logical product of the gate signal and the drive signal is obtained, a blank period as shown in the BLK portion of FIG. 8i is generated for each cycle, and the presented drive waveform becomes an intermittent signal as shown in FIG. 8i. Thus, the character output and the Braille output are presented at the intervals shown in FIG. 8j, and the adaptation of the fingertip sensation is small and the fatigue according to claim 2 is less than that of the vibratory stimulus.

By applying the embodiment shown here, FIG.
In the case of the continuous drive signal shown in FIG. 8C, the carry signal of the n-ary counter of the drive signal counter 33, and in the case of intermittent presentation of FIG. By providing the carry signal of this counter as the input switching signal shown in FIG. 8e to the braille information readout control unit 7, the number of times one character is presented can be automatically updated by repeating m times. In the case of automatic updating, the intermittent presentation method described in claim 2 is more effective because the character separation is clearer.

Next, the operation for creating a document will be described. In this mode, the switch 14 (SW1) of FIG.
Is connected to the b side. When an input key is pressed during document creation, the input is converted into a character code by a ROM or the like constituting the input braille-character conversion unit 15 in FIG. The character code is buffered and output to the presentation output stimulus pin selection unit 9 and an external information device. The reference clock for generating the stimulus pin drive signal is switched to the constant clock generator 17 on the b-contact side of the switch 14 (SW1), and generates a drive signal having a predetermined cycle. When writing a document, the finger always moves for Braille input, so it is not passive touching,
By switching the switch 32 (SW2) in FIG. 1, the analog gate circuit 12 may always be in the active state and may be statically presented.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the Braille information transmitting apparatus in the passive tactile method, the same character is repeatedly displayed until the tactile reader recognizes the character, and when the character is recognized, the character is updated. It is possible to read reliably actively by completely depressing the key for. Also one
The intermittent presentation of the characters has the effect of making the adaptation of the fingertip sensation and the fatigue less and making it easier to recognize. 6 more
In the Braille transmission method presented to the fingers, a word processor input can be made with the six-point input key, and by switching the mode, the Braille document can be tactilely read and read while the input key is used as it is and the finger is placed on the input key. By using the same input key operation, the presentation cycle of the dynamic presentation can be adjusted, and the presented character can be updated when the character is recognized, thereby realizing a braille information transmission device close to active tactile reading.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an operation block diagram illustrating the operation of an embodiment of a Braille information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a Braille presentation mechanism in which one key input switch, a Braille information presentation unit, and a variable resistor for a presentation state control signal are integrated;

FIG. 3 is an example of a circuit block diagram for realizing an intermittent presentation function in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an overview of one embodiment of a braille information transmitting apparatus according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an outline view of a Braille transmission mechanism in a conventional Braille transmission device;

FIG. 6 is a configuration example of an apparatus of method 1,

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of reading Braille information at the time of tactile reading,

FIG. 8 is a time chart for performing an operation of reading information from the electronic character input memory unit 8 in accordance with a drive signal generation and a Braille information update signal.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stimulation pin 2 Actuator 3 Key input part 4 Variable resistor 5 Braille information update signal generation part 6 Presentation cycle control clock generation part 7 Braille information read control part 8 Electronic character input memory part 9 Presentation output stimulation pin selection part 10 Drive signal control Unit 11 Presentation drive signal generation unit 12 Gate circuit 13 Stimulation pin drive unit 14 Mode switch 15 Input Braille-character conversion unit 16 Key input readout control unit 17 Clock generation unit 18 Movable support rod 19 Coil spring 20 Projection unit 21 Electrode unit 22 Curved Type electrode part 28 Braille presentation case 29 Cable 30 Connector 31 Braille transmission mechanism for one character 32 Static / dynamic presentation changeover switch 33 Drive signal counter 34 Presentation gate signal generator 35 Intermittent presentation gate circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A Braille information transmitting apparatus for transmitting Braille information to a tactile receptor such as a finger by a passive tactile method, wherein a presentation drive signal repeatedly generating a drive signal corresponding to a presentation time of one character of Braille information. A generator, a drive signal controller for generating a control signal for generating a presentation drive signal from a reference clock, a Braille information update signal generator for generating an update signal for presentation information, and a memory for accessing information on a memory. A braille information readout control unit for generating an address signal, wherein the same information is repeatedly presented until the presentation information is updated, and the presentation information is updated by a tactile reader's operation. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a drive signal counter for counting the number of times of the presentation drive signal generation; and a presentation period gate signal generator, for generating an intermittent presentation drive signal from the repeatedly generated presentation drive signal. A Braille information transmitting device characterized by intermittently presenting Braille information.