KR101523619B1 - Apparatus and method for outputting braille using laser beam - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a braille output device using a laser beam, and includes a plurality of tactile generators for generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation, wherein the laser beam is a pulsed laser beam ), And outputs a braille pattern using a plurality of pulse laser beams generated by the plurality of tactile generation units.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for outputting braille using a laser beam,

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for outputting a braille pattern using a laser beam, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for outputting a braille pattern by controlling a tactile pattern using a plurality of pulsed laser beams, The present invention relates to a braille output device and a method for outputting braille.

A Braille pattern is a blind character used to provide various information to blind people who can not recognize visual information. Such a braille pattern may optionally include points arranged in a matrix form of mxn, and various information can be expressed through various combinations of these points. (For reference, the currently widely used Braille pattern is a 3 x 2 braille pattern consisting of 3 rows and 2 columns and represents various character information through various combinations of 6 points.)

Conventionally, the positions of the points constituting the 'braille pattern' are expressed using embossing projections. Specifically, the positions of the points constituting the braille pattern are expressed by using the protruding texture provided by the relief projections.

However, this prior art has a limitation in that it is difficult to change the braille pattern expressed once to another braille pattern. In addition, since it is essentially a contact type, there is a limit in that the braille pattern can not be recognized accurately or not at all depending on the contact state, the contact area, the contact direction and the like.

Therefore, there is a demand for a new braille pattern output technology that can overcome these limitations.

The present invention has been invented based on such a technical background and has been invented to provide additional technical elements which can not easily be invented by a person having ordinary skill in the art, as well as satisfying the technical requirements of the present invention.

KR 10-2012-0084608 A

The present invention provides a tactile pattern using a plurality of pulsed laser beams, and controlling the tactile pattern to output a braille pattern.

The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and various technical problems can be included within the scope of what is well known to a person skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a braille output device including a plurality of tactile generators for generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation, And a plurality of pulse laser beams generated by the plurality of tactile generation units are used to output a braille pattern.

The braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam is adjusted to a value in the range of 0.005 mJ to 9.5 mJ.

Further, the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that the energy per unit pulse is adjusted by adjusting the pulse power of the pulse laser beam or adjusting the pulse width of the pulse laser beam .

Further, the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the pulse width is adjusted within a range of several tens of ms (millisecond) or less.

A braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be interlocked with a display device and output a braille pattern corresponding to time information of the display device.

Further, a braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be interlocked with a hearing device and output a braille pattern corresponding to sound information of the hearing device.

The braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention is installed inside a touch panel and changes a braille pattern based on touch information through the touch panel.

Further, the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention changes the braille pattern when all areas on the touch panel on which the braille pattern is output are touched.

Further, the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention changes the braille pattern when a specific area of the touch panel is touched.

A braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be interlocked with a voice input device and change a braille pattern based on information input through the voice input device.

Also, the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention can operate in conjunction with a human body detection sensor, and operates the plurality of tactile generators only when the human body detection sensor recognizes the approach of the human body.

The braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be interlocked with the human body detection sensor and change the braille pattern according to the approach direction of the human body sensed by the human body detection sensor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a braille output device including: (a) generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation; And (b) outputting a braille pattern using the plurality of laser beams, wherein the laser beam is a pulsed laser beam.

The present invention can output a braille pattern using a plurality of laser beams. Specifically, the present invention can output a braille pattern by using tactile feedback generated by a plurality of pulse laser beams. Therefore, according to the present invention, the braille pattern can be transmitted even in the non-contact state, and the braille pattern can be changed in real time by controlling the plurality of pulsed laser beams.

In addition, the present invention can output a braille pattern in a state of being interlocked with various electronic devices, and can change the braille pattern based on information generated by various electronic devices. For example, the present invention can operate in a state of being interlocked with a display device, and can output a braille pattern corresponding to time information of the display device. Further, the present invention can operate in a state interlocked with the auditory apparatus, and can output the braille pattern corresponding to the auditory information of the auditory apparatus. In addition, the present invention can operate in a state of being interlocked with the speech recognition apparatus and output the braille pattern corresponding to the speech recognition information of the speech recognition apparatus. In addition, the present invention can operate in a state of being interlocked with a touch panel or a human body monitoring sensor, and can operate in conjunction with various electronic devices.

Further, the present invention can change the braille pattern output according to the approach direction of the human body. Specifically, the present invention can change the braille pattern so as to match the changed direction even if the approach direction of the human body is changed, thereby preventing the problem that the pattern is erroneously recognized according to the human approach direction.

On the other hand, the present invention can provide 'opto-mechanical touch' (for embodying a braille pattern) to the human skin using a pulsed laser beam. Specifically, the present invention can provide opto-mechanical touch to the human body using a pulsed laser beam whose energy per unit pulse is adjusted to a value of 0.005 mJ or more. Therefore, the present invention provides' opto-mechanical touch 'rather than' photo-thermal touch 'or' photo-chemical touch ', so that side effects that may be caused by' photo- Can be minimized.

Further, the present invention can provide a photo-mechanical touch (for embodying a braille pattern) without damaging the skin of the human body. Specifically, the present invention can control the energy per unit pulse in the range of 0.005 mJ to 9.5 mJ to provide the opto-mechanical touch without damaging the skin of the human body.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and various effects can be included within the range that is obvious to a person skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an exemplary view showing the operation of the braille output apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an exemplary diagram showing parameters of a pulsed laser beam.
4 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state interlocked with a display device.
FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state interlocked with a hearing device. FIG.
6 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state of being interlocked with a touch panel.
FIG. 7 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state interlocked with a voice input device.
FIG. 8 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state interlocked with a human body detection sensor.
9 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of an experimental system for verifying the opto-mechanical touch generated by the braille output device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a graph showing an output signal of a piezo sensor.
11 is a block diagram showing a process of processing the output signal of the piezo sensor.
12 and 13 are graphs showing the relationship between the energy per unit pulse of the laser generation module and the output signal of the piezo sensor.
FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing an experiment for comparing and observing changes in brain waves caused by laser stimulation and changes in brain waves caused by pure mechanical stimulation.
15 to 16 are graphs showing the results of the experiment shown in FIG.
17 is an exemplary view showing that the braille output device according to the embodiment of the present invention changes the braille pattern according to the approach direction of the human body.

Hereinafter, a 'Braille output device and method using a laser' according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are provided so that those skilled in the art can easily understand the technical spirit of the present invention, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the matters described in the attached drawings may be different from those actually implemented by the schematic drawings to easily describe the embodiments of the present invention.

In the meantime, each constituent unit described below is only an example for implementing the present invention. Thus, in other implementations of the present invention, other components may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, each component may be implemented solely by hardware or software configuration, but may be implemented by a combination of various hardware and software configurations performing the same function.

Also, the expression " comprising " is intended to merely denote that such elements are present as an expression of " open ", and should not be understood to exclude additional elements.

The braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can output a braille pattern using a plurality of laser beams. Specifically, the braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can generate a tactile pattern using a plurality of laser beams, and controls the generated tactile pattern to provide braille pattern information can do.

Hereinafter, a braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG.

1 and 2, a braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of tactile generators 110 for generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation, And a controller 130 for controlling the operation of the plurality of tactile generators.

In addition, the output device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include various configurations such as a communication unit for transmitting or receiving data in addition to these configurations.

The plurality of tactile generators 110 are configured to generate a plurality of laser beams for generating tactile patterns. The plurality of tactile generators 110 may be selectively controlled to implement various tactile patterns, thereby realizing various types of braille patterns.

For example, when the plurality of tactile generators 110 include six tactile generators A, B, C, D, E, and F as shown in FIG. 2, Various braille patterns can be implemented. 2, the tactile generators A and E are operated in the ON state (laser beam is generated), and the B, C, D and F are operated in the OFF state , So that a braille pattern corresponding to the alphabet 'K' can be implemented. 2) Further, the tactile generators A, B, C and D are operated in the ON state and the tactile generators E and F are operated in the OFF state to realize the braille pattern corresponding to the alphabet 'G'.

Each tactile generation unit 110 includes a laser generation module 112 for generating a laser beam, an optical filter module 114 for adjusting the intensity of the laser beam, And may include various configurations for generating and adjusting the laser beam. (For reference, when the laser generation module 112 is a semiconductor laser diode, the optical filter module 114 may be omitted from the configuration.)

Here, the laser generation module 112 may include a laser driver, a cooling device, and the like, for generating and outputting a pulsed laser beam. The laser driver includes a laser medium, an optical pumping unit, and an optical resonator. The laser driver generates an optical signal constituting the pulse laser beam. The cooling device is configured to remove heat that may be generated in the process of generating the optical signal by the laser driver, and serves to protect the laser driver device.

The laser generation module 112 may be formed in various forms capable of generating a laser beam. For example, the laser output unit 110 may be a laser output unit such as a ruby laser, a Nd: YAG laser, a neodymium glass laser, a laser diode Ga, Excimer laser, dye laser, and the like. In addition to these types, semiconductor laser diodes and the like may be used.

The laser generation module 112 preferably generates a pulsed laser beam by using a pulse laser instead of a continuous wave laser (CW laser). When a laser stimulus is continuously provided, a pulsed laser beam is used to obtain opto-mechanical touch while minimizing these effects since a photo-chemical effect or a photo-thermal effect may occur and cause a side effect to the human body .

In addition, the laser generation module 112 can adjust the energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam, and generate the opto-mechanical touch through the adjustment operation of the parameter. If the exposure time and the energy per unit pulse are adjusted to a specific range, a phenomenon such as a shock wave due to thermo elasticity may occur due to the pulsed laser beam. Such a phenomenon may cause the opto-mechanical touch Because. The adjustment of the energy per unit pulse may be achieved by adjusting the intensity (Power, J / s) of the optical signal constituting the pulse laser beam, or by adjusting the pulse width of the pulse laser beam Can be achieved. 3, the optical signal intensity (Power, J / s), pulse width, repetition rate, etc. of the pulsed laser beam can be confirmed.) Further, The generation module 112 may adjust the energy per unit pulse to mean that the laser generation module 112 changes the energy per unit pulse, It may mean keeping the energy per pulse at a certain value (constant value). That is, the operation of 'controlling' the energy per unit pulse includes not only the operation of changing the energy per unit pulse but also the operation of maintaining the energy per unit pulse at a specific value (constant value) or a specific range of values .

In addition, the laser generation module 112 preferably controls energy per unit pulse under a pulse width of several tens of milliseconds or less. Even in the case of using a pulsed laser beam, when the pulse width is large, a sufficient exposure time of laser stimulation is ensured, and a photo-chemical effect or a photo-thermal effect may occur. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize this phenomenon by controlling the energy per unit pulse at a pulse width of several tens of milliseconds or less.

In addition, it is preferable that the laser generation module 112 adjusts the energy per unit pulse to a value of 0.005 mJ or more. As you will see, these conditions can cause the opto-mechanical touch without damaging the skin tissue of the human body.

Also, it is preferable that the laser generation module 112 adjusts the energy per unit pulse to a value of 9.5 mJ or less. As we shall see later, in conditions exceeding 9.5 mJ, the degree of opto-mechanical tactile sensation may become large enough to damage the skin tissue of the human body. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the energy per unit pulse to a value of 9.5 mJ or less in order to ensure safety in the case of directly providing the human body with the opto-mechanical touch.

The optical filter module 114 is configured to adjust the intensity (Power, J / s) of the optical signal constituting the pulsed laser beam, And the energy per unit pulse of the beam can be secondarily adjusted.

The optical filter module 114 may include an attenuator that attenuates the intensity of an optical signal. The intensity of the optical signal (Power, J / s) can be attenuated using the attenuator. Accordingly, the optical filter module 114 can reduce the energy per unit pulse by attenuating the intensity of the optical signal in the same pulse width.

The optical filter module 114 may be selectively mounted on the tactile generation unit 110 when the laser generation module 112 itself has an ability to control energy per unit pulse, And can play an auxiliary role for finely adjusting the energy per pulse. However, when the laser generation module 112 itself does not have the capability of controlling energy per unit pulse, the laser generation module 112 is essentially installed in the tactile generation unit 110 and plays a leading role of controlling the energy per unit pulse .

The lens module 116 is configured to adjust the diameter of the pulsed laser beam. The lens module 116 includes a light focusing part (e.g., a convex lens part) for focusing the pulsed laser beam and a light diffusing part (e.g., a concave lens part and the like) for diffusing the pulsed laser beam And the diameter of the pulsed laser beam can be increased or decreased through selective operation of the light focusing unit and the light diffusing unit.

The communication unit is a configuration for receiving information from other electronic devices or transmitting information to other electronic devices. The communication unit may be configured in the form of various wired communication devices or wireless communication devices that satisfy standards such as IEEE, ISO, IEC, and ITU. In addition to these standards, the communication unit may be implemented by various types of communication devices. Meanwhile, according to the embodiment, the communication unit may be realized in the form of a simple connection cable.

The controller 130 controls various components of the braille output apparatus 100 including the plurality of tactile generators 110 and the communication unit. In particular, the controller 130 can control the selective operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 (laser beam generating operation) as described above, thereby implementing various braille patterns.

The control unit 130 may include at least one computing unit and a storage unit, which may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), but may be a programmable device element CPLD, FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or microcontroller chip. Also, the storage means may be a volatile memory element, a non-volatile memory or a non-volatile electromagnetic storage element, or a memory within the computing means.

Meanwhile, the controller 130 may perform a control operation in a state of being linked with various electronic devices such as a display device, a hearing device, a touch panel, a voice input device, and a human body detection sensor. For example, the control unit 130 may 1) receive time information data from the display device through the communication unit, and control the operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on the received data . 2) Also, the control unit 130 can receive sound information data from the auditory apparatus through the communication unit, and can control the operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on the received data . 3) The control unit 130 can receive voice information data from the voice input device through the communication unit and can control the operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on the received data have. 4) The controller 130 can receive the touch input information data from the touch panel through the communication unit and can control the operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on the received data have. 5) The control unit 130 can receive the sensing information data from the human body sensor through the communication unit and can control the operation of the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on the received data . In addition, the control unit 130 can interoperate with various electronic devices in addition to the electronic devices, and can control the plurality of tactile generators 110 based on various data provided by various electronic devices.

The controller 130 controls the operation of the laser generation module 112 and the optical filter module 114 included in each tactile feedback unit 110 to generate the tactile feedback signal generated by each tactile feedback unit 110 The energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam can be adjusted. Specifically, the controller 130 controls operations of the laser generation module 112 and the optical filter module 114 to adjust the pulse width and the intensity (Power, J / s) of the optical signal And the energy per unit pulse can be adjusted through the adjustment operation of these parameters.

In this case, the controller 130 preferably controls the energy per unit pulse under a pulse width of several tens of milliseconds or less. Even in the case of using a pulsed laser beam, when the pulse width is large, a sufficient exposure time of the laser stimulation can be ensured and a photo-chemical effect or a photo-thermal effect may occur. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize this phenomenon by controlling the energy per unit pulse at a pulse width of several tens of milliseconds or less.

In addition, the controller 130 may adjust the energy per unit pulse to a value of 0.005 mJ or more. As you will see, these conditions can cause the opto-mechanical touch without damaging the skin tissue of the human body.

In addition, the controller 130 may adjust the energy per unit pulse to a value of 9.5 mJ or less. As we shall see later, in conditions exceeding 9.5 mJ, the degree of opto-mechanical tactile sensation may become large enough to damage the skin tissue of the human body. Therefore, it is preferable to adjust the energy per unit pulse to a value of 9.5 mJ or less in order to ensure safety in the case of directly providing the human body with the opto-mechanical touch.

The control unit 130 may control the operation of the lens module 116 included in each tactile feedback unit 110 to adjust additional parameters of the pulsed laser beam. Specifically, the control unit 130 may further adjust the diameter of the pulsed laser beam through operation of the lens module 116.

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, examples in which the braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention operates in a state interlocked with various electronic apparatuses will be described.

Referring to FIG. 4, the braille output apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state interlocked with a display device, and can output a braille pattern corresponding to time information of the display device .

Specifically, the braille output apparatus 100 may receive visual information (image information) to be displayed from the display device, and may receive a braille pattern matching with the visual information in a state synchronized with the visual information Can be output. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 may output a braille pattern matching the content of the time information (the content of the image or the character information included in the image), and may correspond to the time information changed in real time The braille pattern can be changed in real time.

In FIG. 4, the braille output apparatus 100 and the display apparatus are connected through a wireless communication network, but they may be interlocked with each other even in a wireless connection mode as well as a wireless connection mode. In addition, although the braille output apparatus 100 and the display apparatus are formed as separate apparatuses in FIG. 4, according to an embodiment, the display apparatus and the braille output apparatus 100 may be integrally formed.

5, the Braille output apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state interlocked with the auditory apparatus, and can output a Braille pattern corresponding to the sound information of the auditory apparatus . (For reference, the term 'auditory device' as used herein is used to mean various electronic devices for generating sound information in the audible frequency band region, and includes various sound generating devices such as a speaker device and a hearing aid device Concept)

Specifically, the braille output apparatus 100 may receive sound information from the auditory apparatus, and may output a Braille pattern matching with the sound information in synchronization with the sound information. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 may output a braille pattern matching the contents of the sound information (language information included in the sound information), and may output a braille pattern corresponding to the sound information changed in real time It can be changed in real time.

In FIG. 5, the braille output apparatus 100 and the auditory apparatus are connected through a wireless communication network. In FIG. 5, the braille output apparatus 100 and the auditory apparatus are formed as separate apparatuses. However, in some embodiments, the braille output apparatus 100 and the auditory apparatus may be integrally formed.

Referring to FIG. 6, the braille output device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state interlocked with a touch panel, and can output a braille pattern corresponding to the touch input information of the touch panel have. Specifically, the braille output device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be installed inside the touch panel, and may change the braille pattern by referring to the touch input information of the touch panel.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 6, representative examples of such an interlocking operation will be described.

First, the braille output apparatus 100 may perform an interlocking operation of changing a braille pattern when all areas on the touch panel on which a braille pattern is output are touched, as shown in FIG. 6A. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 may implement a Braille pattern 1 representing character information of a specific page (e.g., Page 1), and then, when the areas on the touch panel on which the braille pattern 1 is output are all touched, It is possible to perform an interlocking operation of changing the Braille pattern 1 to Braille pattern 2 that matches the character information of the next page (e.g., 2 pages).

In addition, the braille output apparatus 100 may perform an interlocking operation of changing a braille pattern when a specific area on the touch panel is touched, as shown in FIG. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 may embody the Braille pattern 1 representing the character information of a specific page (e.g., Page 1), and then, when a specific area on the touch panel is touched, To the Braille pattern 2 matching with the character information of the character string " 1 ".

Referring to FIG. 7, the braille output apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state of being interlocked with a voice input device, and is capable of operating with a braille pattern corresponding to voice information input through the voice input device Can be output.

Specifically, the braille output apparatus 100 can receive speech input information from the speech input apparatus and output a braille pattern matching with the speech input information. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 can receive speech input information through the microphone device, analyze the waveform of the received speech input information to calculate language information, A braille pattern can be implemented.

In FIG. 7, although the braille output apparatus 100 and the voice input apparatus are connected through a wireless communication network, they may be interlocked with each other in a state where they are wired as well as wirelessly. 7, the braille output apparatus 100 and the voice input apparatus are formed as separate apparatuses. However, in some embodiments, the braille output apparatus 100 and the voice input apparatus may be integrally formed.

Referring to FIG. 8, the braille output apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state of being interlocked with a human body sensor, and generates a braille pattern based on sensing information generated by the human body sensor. Can be output. For example, the braille output apparatus 100 outputs a touch pattern only when the human body detection sensor recognizes the approach of the human body. When the human body detection sensor does not recognize the approach of the human body, It can work in a way that does not.

8 exemplifies the case where the human body detection sensor recognizes the approach of the human body (can be implemented in various ways including infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, laser, etc.) Quot; Braille pattern "

Meanwhile, the braille output apparatus 100 and the human body detection sensor may be formed as separate apparatuses, and may be interlocked through a communication network, but may also be composed of a single unitary apparatus.

Meanwhile, the braille output apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can operate in a state of being linked with a human body detection sensor, and can be implemented in various ways including the human body detection sensor (infrared ray, ultrasonic wave, The braille pattern can be changed according to the approach direction of the human body recognized by the user.

Therefore, through this operation, it is possible to provide the correct braille pattern information regardless of which direction the human body approaches. (It is possible to prevent the problem that the braille pattern is misrecognized according to the approach direction of the human body.)

For example, the braille output apparatus 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured such that: (1) when the human body approaches from the right direction as shown in FIG. 17 (A) (E.g., a braille pattern corresponding to "U") on the basis of the right direction, and 2) the human body approaches the downward direction as shown in (For example, a braille pattern corresponding to "U ") can be output based on the downward direction by controlling the tactile generating units A, B, D, E, (In the above description, the control is applied to the upward direction, the leftward direction, etc., although the rightward direction and the downward direction have been exemplarily shown.)

Hereinafter, a braille output method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The method of outputting a braille according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a step (a) of generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation by the braille output device.

The plurality of laser beams are preferably pulsed laser beams.

The braille outputting method may further include a step (b) of outputting a braille pattern using the plurality of laser beams after the step (a).

The above-described braille output method according to the present invention may include substantially the same features as the braille output device in one embodiment of the present invention, although the categories are different. Therefore, although not described in detail in order to prevent redundant description, the above-described features relating to the braille output device can be analogously applied to the invention of the braille output method.

[Experimental Example 1]

Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 9 to 16, 'pulse-laser beam' generated by the tactile feedback unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention causes 'opto-mechanical touch' We experimentally verify that

9 is a diagram showing the configuration of an experimental system for confirming the opto-mechanical effect of the laser beam generated by the tactile generation unit 110. As shown in FIG.

Such an experimental system may include a touch generating unit 110 for generating a pulsed laser beam, a collagen film, a piezo sensor, a three-axis position fine adjustment unit, and a computer.

The tactile feedback unit 110 is a structure included in the braille output device according to the present invention, and generates and outputs a pulsed laser beam.

In this experiment, the pulse laser beam generated by the tactile feedback unit 110 is a pulse wave having a wavelength of 532 nm, a pulse width of 5 ns, a repetition rate of 10 Hz, a frequency of 0.48 A pulse laser beam having a beam diameter (diameter irradiated to the collagen film) of mm was used.

The collagen film is a type I collagen film (Neskin®-F, Medira, thickness of 300 to 500 μm) used for the purpose of Ficilitates epidermal healing & substitue, . Since more than 90% of the living tissue is composed of type I collagen, this collagen film can be used to indirectly test the effect that will occur in the biological skin tissue.

However, since the skin thickness (epidermis) of a human body differs depending on individual, sex, and race, in this experiment, five collagen films were firstly subjected to an experiment, and 10 collagen films were secondarily The experiment was carried out. This is because the skin thickness of the human body may vary in the range of 5 to 10 collagen films depending on individual, sex, and race. Referring to Table 1, the weight and thickness of five collagen films and ten collagen films can be confirmed.

Number of collagen films Weight [g] Thickness [mm] Chapter 5 0.12 0.15 Chapter 10 0.23 0.31

On the other hand, the collagen film was used in the form attached to the piezo sensor.

The piezo sensor is a device that expresses a mechanical stimulus externally expressed by an electrical output signal. Therefore, in this experiment, mechanical changes induced in the collagen film were observed using such a piezo sensor.

Meanwhile, in this experiment, a surface-coated piezo sensor (LFT1-028K, measurement specialties) was used to minimize the influence of the sensor surface on the adhesion of the collagen film.

The three-axis position fine adjustment device is a device for finely controlling the position of the piezo sensor. In addition, the computer is a device for receiving a signal output from the piezo sensor, analyzing the received signal, and displaying the analyzed result.

The following experiment was conducted using the experimental system.

1) An experiment was conducted to irradiate a pulsed laser beam having energy of 0.05 mJ per unit pulse onto a collagen film composed of five sheets.

2) The pulsed laser beam was irradiated at a frequency of 10 Hz, specifically, just before 0.05 [s], just before 0.15 [s], just before 0.25 [s] and just before 0.35 [s].

3) We analyzed the signal of the piezo sensor output in this experiment.

Figure 10 is a graph showing the results of such experiments. Referring to FIG. 10, it can be seen that the output signal of the piezo sensor is generated at a frequency of 10 Hz corresponding to the pulse repetition rate of the irradiated laser beam. It is also confirmed that the time at which the output signal is generated from the piezo sensor coincides with the point of time when the pulsed laser beam is irradiated (just before 0.05 [s], just before 0.15 [s], immediately before 0.25 [s], 0.35 [s] .

Therefore, it can be confirmed from the experimental results that the pulsed laser beam induces opto-mechanical stimulation for 'implementation of braille pattern'.

In addition, the following experiment was conducted using the experimental system described above.

1) First, the output signal of the piezo sensor was observed while irradiating a pulse laser beam to a collagen film composed of five sheets by using the tactile generation section 110. Particularly, the experiment was performed while sequentially changing the energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam irradiated by the tactile generation unit 110.

2) Next, the output signal of the piezo sensor was observed while irradiating the ten-sheet collagen film with the pulsed laser using the tactile generation section 110. In this case as well, the experiment was conducted while sequentially changing the energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam irradiated by the tactile generation unit 110.

In this experiment, the experiment was performed with a pulse width of 5 ns, which satisfies the range of ms (millisecond) or less. Therefore, by changing the intensity (Power, J / s) of the optical signal constituting the pulsed laser beam, Change.

Also, the signal output from the piezo sensor is analyzed through processes such as i) pre-filtering, ii) removal of low-frequency components, and iii) maximum value detection as shown in Fig. That is, the output signal of the piezo sensor is analyzed through a process of preliminary filtering to remove noise first, secondarily to remove a low-frequency component, and to detect a maximum value of a signal. In addition, the results are expressed using the average of the detected maximum values.

Figures 12 and 13 are graphs showing the results of such experiments.

12 is a graph showing a change in the output signal of the piezo sensor according to a change in energy per unit pulse. The axis of abscissa was analyzed by setting the energy per unit pulse and the axis of ordinates was set as a signal (sensor output signal per unit thickness) obtained by dividing the output signal of the piezo sensor by the unit thickness.

13 is an enlarged graph of a portion of the graph of Fig. Specifically, FIG. 12 is an enlarged graph of a region surrounded by a dotted line.

12 and 13, it can be confirmed that 1) a collagen film composed of 5 sheets is caused to exhibit opto-mechanical touch when energy per unit pulse of 0.00398 mJ or more is applied, and 2) For the collagen film, it can be confirmed that opto-mechanical touch is caused when energy per unit pulse of 0.005 mJ or more is applied. Therefore, it can be confirmed that the threshold energy for inducing opto-mechanical tactility of the collagen film formed within the range of 5 to 10 sheets is in the range of 0.00398 mJ to 0.005 mJ.

On the other hand, as described above, skin thickness of common people is in the range of 5 to 10 collagen films. Therefore, if a pulsed laser beam having an energy per unit pulse of at least 0.005 mJ or more is applied to the human body, it is possible to cause the opto-mechanical touch regardless of the individual skin thickness difference.

12 and 13, it can be seen that the upper limit for increasing energy per unit pulse is set to about 9.5 mJ. This is because collagen film damage was observed in the experiment in which the energy per unit pulse was set to 9.5 mJ or more. Therefore, in order to secure safety when irradiated to human skin, the energy per unit pulse is preferably limited to a range of 9.5 mJ or less.

[Experimental Example 2]

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 16, the 'pulse-laser beam' generated by the tactile generation unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention causes 'opto-mechanical touch' We experimentally verify that

The following experiment was conducted to verify that the 'pulsed laser beam' induces 'opto-mechanical touch'.

1) First, the EEG (Electroencephalographic) device was used to observe the EEG changes while irradiating the right hand with the pulsed laser beam generated by the tactile generation unit. (Fig. 14A - experimental group)

2) In addition, the EEG device was used to observe EEG changes while the right hand was mechanically stimulated. (Figure 14B-control)

In the experiment, a pulse laser beam having a wavelength of 532 nm, a pulse width of 5 ns, an energy per unit pulse of 1.9 mJ, and a beam diameter of 0.48 mm was used, And mechanical stimulation was applied using a rod with the same diameter (Diameter). In addition, observation of EEG using the EEG device was performed in the C3 region and C4 region of the sensory cortex in the entire region of the brain.

Figs. 15 to 16 are diagrams showing the resultant data of this experiment.

As can be seen from Figs. 15 to 16, the EEG responses of the experimental group (observing the EEG response with the pulsed laser beam applied) and the control group (observation of the EEG response with the mechanical stimulus applied with the rod) And the average size of EEG in the area was significantly increased. Although the EEG response is delayed for a certain time in the experiment using the 'pulsed laser beam', the phenomenon that the spermic sensory cortical regions C3 and C4 are activated by the 'pulsed laser beam' . Also, the shape of the EEG response graph when the 'pulse laser beam' is applied is similar to the case where the 'bar stimulus (pure mechanical stimulus)' is applied except for the region where the response is delayed, The average size of brain waves was increased.

Therefore, through such experiment, it can be verified that the 'optical-mechanical touch' is caused by the 'pulse laser beam'.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100: Braille output device 110:
112: laser generation module 114: optical filter module
116: lens module 130:

Claims (13)

A plurality of tactile generators for generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation;
, ≪ / RTI &
The laser beam is a pulsed laser beam,
Characterized in that a braille pattern is output using a plurality of pulse laser beams generated by the plurality of tactile generation units,
Wherein energy of the pulsed laser beam per unit pulse is adjusted to a value in the range of 0.005 mJ to 9.5 mJ.
delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the energy per unit pulse is adjusted by adjusting the power of the pulse laser beam or adjusting the pulse width of the pulse laser beam.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the pulse width is adjusted within a range of several tens ms (milliseconds) or less.
The method according to claim 1,
And outputs the braille pattern corresponding to the time information of the display device.
The method according to claim 1,
And outputs the braille pattern corresponding to the sound information of the auditory apparatus.
The method according to claim 1,
A touch panel disposed inside the touch panel,
And changes the braille pattern based on the touch information through the touch panel.
8. The method of claim 7,
And changes the braille pattern when all areas on the touch panel on which the braille pattern is output are touched.
8. The method of claim 7,
And changes the braille pattern when a specific area of the touch panel is touched.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the braille pattern is interlocked with the voice input device and changes the braille pattern based on the information input through the voice input device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the controller is operable with the human body detection sensor and operates the plurality of tactile generators only when the human body detection sensor recognizes the approach of the human body.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of tactile generating units change the braille pattern according to an approach direction of a human body sensed by the human body detection sensor.
(a) generating a plurality of laser beams for tactile generation by the braille output device; And
(b) the braille output device outputting a braille pattern using the plurality of laser beams;
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the laser beam is a pulsed laser beam,
Wherein the energy per unit pulse of the pulsed laser beam is adjusted to a value falling within a range of 0.005 mJ to 9.5 mJ.

Images