RU2651444C2 - Device and method for receiving and transmitting information by braille letters - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: data processing.

SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to a device in the form of a glove for receiving and transmitting information by Braille letters. Device is made, for example, from a textile material with contact groups located onto it, which, when interconnected, are used for signal transmission, herewith one connection between different contact groups is defined as one point in Braille letters, and vibration signaling devices placed onto it and used for receiving signals, herewith one transmitted vibrational signal corresponds to one point in Braille letters. Device may comprise a control unit for analyzing and converting data, as well as for receiving and transmitting signals, which is connected by wires to the contact groups and the vibration signaling devices. Method for receiving and transmitting information is implemented using the said device connected to a computer or a smartphone, on which an appropriate software installed for converting Braille letters to alphabet characters or speech and vice versa.

EFFECT: method for receiving and transmitting information using the specified device by people with reduced physical abilities in sight, voice and/or hearing.

13 cl, 4 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to information technology and can be used for tactile reception and transmission of information encoded according to the principle of relief-dot tactile font of Louis Braille, using computers, mobile phones, electronic devices, recording devices and control systems to expand the possibilities and boundaries of communication between people with impaired vision, hearing and / or speech. In particular, the present invention is a device in the form of a glove with contact groups located on it, which when connected to each other are used to transmit signals, defined as points in Braille, and vibration indicators located on it, used to receive signals defined as points in braille. The specified device is used in the present invention, a method of receiving and transmitting information via Braille.

State of the art

Currently, it is known to use braille displays for inputting and outputting data intended for people with visual impairments. Braille displays are electromechanical devices that form on a flat horizontal surface the relief-dot elements of the Braille that can be read by the tactile receptors of the fingertips. Such devices are performed in the form of typewriters having programmed control, manual manipulators and actuators connected as an additional device to a computer using a USB or Bluetooth interface. However, such devices are very expensive and bulky, and they do not provide the possibility of mobile and situational communication of people with visual, hearing and voice impairments with other people.

US Pat. No. 5,571,020 describes an educational device for assisting in learning to type on a keyboard. The device includes a set of gloves and images or characters located on the fingers of the gloves, providing presentation in the form of pictograms and alphanumeric representation of the computer keyboard. Visual and tactile memorization of images on the glove is supplemented by auditory and associative memorization of the provided educational method of storytelling. However, the described device is not intended for communication of people with visual, hearing and / or voice impairments using Braille and does not provide it.

The closest analogue of the device proposed in this application is the device and method for entering information described in the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2141685. The described device contains tactile elements placed on a substrate and connected to the controller, while at least one tactile element is placed and fixed on at least one phalanx of at least one finger by means of a substrate, for example flexible or elastic, and the tactile element is located in the field access of the terminal phalanx of the finger of the same hand. In this case, tactile elements with a conductive coating are arranged in the form of an informational Braille matrix and contain tactile sensitivity sensors, for example, excitation windings of electromagnetic vibrators facing the skin of the fingers. The described device is quite difficult to manufacture, because it contains braille matrices in each of the tactile elements, and obtaining information through such matrices does not provide clarity and allows for ambiguity in the interpretation of the information received.

A brief description of the present invention

The aim of the present invention is the provision of a compact, easy to manufacture and use, as well as accessible to people with impaired vision, hearing and / or voice devices that allow the reception and transmission of information through Braille.

This goal was achieved by creating a device in the form of a glove, in which the contact method is used for transmitting and receiving data, and tactile for receiving data. The described device is used in a method of transmitting and receiving data through a braille.

The proposed device is simple and convenient to use and allows communication between people with visual, hearing and / or voice impairments with other people, including when using mobile and situational communication using a smartphone.

One of the embodiments of the present invention is a glove-shaped device for receiving and transmitting information via Braille with contact groups located on it, which when connected to each other are used to transmit signals, defined as points in Braille, and with vibration annunciators located on it used to receive signals defined as points in braille. Contact groups of the specified device are made of conductive material.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention contains contact groups used for signal transmission located at the fingertips and palm.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention contains two additional contact groups located on the side surface of the index finger.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention comprises vibration alarms used to receive signals located on the back of the distal phalanges of the fingers and on the back of the hand.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention comprises a fixing element on the wrist.

In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the reception and transmission of information via Braille using the device described above, transmitted signals, defined as points in Braille, are formed by sequential or simultaneous formation of the corresponding contacts between the contact groups of the device; received signals, defined as points in Braille, are converted into vibration of the corresponding vibration signaling devices; and the conversion of Braille to alphabetical characters or speech and vice versa is provided using software installed on a computer or smartphone connected to the specified device.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a glove-shaped device for receiving and transmitting information via Braille, described above, which further comprises a control unit for analyzing and converting data, as well as receiving and transmitting signals, connected by wires to contact groups and vibration alarms .

In one embodiment of the above-described device according to the present invention, said control unit is adapted to be connected to a computer or smartphone to receive and transmit signals by wire or wireless.

In one embodiment of the above device, the reception and transmission of signals is via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

In one embodiment of the method of receiving and transmitting information via a braille according to the present invention using the device described above, the transmitted signals defined by the control unit as points in braille are formed by sequential or simultaneous formation of the corresponding contacts between the contact groups of the device; the received signals, defined by the control unit as points in the braille, are converted into vibration of the respective vibration signaling devices; and the control unit receives and transmits signals between the specified device and the computer or smartphone.

In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the conversion of Braille to alphabetical characters or speech and vice versa is provided using appropriate software installed on a computer or smartphone.

In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the control unit is connected to a computer or smartphone via a wired or wireless method.

In one embodiment of the method according to the present invention, the control unit is connected to a computer or smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Description of drawings

In FIG. 1 shows the layout of the contact groups of the device and the locking element on the wrist. Contacts 2 through 7 are used in the sequential formation of contacts corresponding to points in braille. Optional additional contacts A and B on the outside of the index finger can be used while forming contacts corresponding to points in braille.

In FIG. 2 shows the layout of the vibration signaling devices of the device and the control unit, connected by wires to the vibration signaling devices.

In FIG. Figure 3 shows the correspondence of contacts and braille dots in the sequential formation of contacts.

In FIG. Figure 4 shows the correspondence of contacts and braille dots while forming contacts.

Detailed description of the present invention

In the device according to the present invention, a contact method is used for transmitting and receiving data, and a tactile method for receiving data. To transmit data in a contact way, tactile sensations are not required, and when receiving data in a tactile way, attention to the texture of the font is not required. Data is transmitted through the free, sequential or simultaneous connection of contacts located on the glove worn on the hand. And data is received through the perception of vibration of vibration alarms.

One embodiment of the device according to the present invention is depicted in FIG. 1 and 2.

The device is in the form of a glove (1), preferably made of textile or other suitable non-conductive material. The device contains contact groups made of conductive material (Fig. 1). Contact groups are located on the thumb (2), on the index finger (3), middle finger (4), on the ring finger (5), on the little finger (6), as well as on the inside of the palm (7). Contact groups (2) to (6) are preferably located at the fingertips. These contact groups are used for the sequential formation of contacts between the contact groups of the device corresponding to the points of the braille pin.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention may contain two additional contact groups (A) and (B) located on the side surface of the index finger. These contact groups together with other contact groups can be used to simultaneously form contacts between the contact groups of the device corresponding to the points of the braille pin.

The principle of the correspondence of these contacts to the points of the braille pin is described in detail below in the description of the method according to the present invention.

The device also contains vibration alarms (8), providing information reception (Fig. 2). Vibration alarms (8) are preferably located on the back of the distal phalanges of the fingers and on the back of the hand.

In one embodiment, the device according to the present invention comprises a fixing element on the wrist (13).

Contact groups and vibration alarms are connected to a computer or smartphone on which the software is installed, which establishes the correspondence between the signals transmitted from the contact groups and the Braille points and provides the conversion of the Braille to alphabet or speech, as well as the reverse conversion of text or speech to font Braille, followed by a signal to the appropriate vibration alarms.

The principle of the correspondence of the indicated vibration signaling devices to the points of the Braille pin is described in detail below.

In the most preferred embodiment, the device also contains a control unit for data analysis and conversion (10), connected by connecting wires (9) with contact groups and vibration annunciators, containing settings buttons (11) and embossed button designators (12) (Fig. 2 )

In the indicated preferred embodiment, the device is connected to a computer or, preferably, a wearable smartphone for receiving and transmitting signals wirelessly. Reception and transmission of signals between the device and a computer or smartphone is via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. In this case, the establishment of the correspondence between the signals transmitted from the contact groups and the Braille points, as well as the reverse direction of the signals to the corresponding vibration indicators corresponding to the Braille points, is carried out by the control unit for data analysis and conversion (10) located on the device according to the present invention, and Braille is converted to alphabet or speech using software installed on a computer or smartphone.

Using a wearable smartphone allows simple and easy reception and transmission of information and provides mobile and situational communication of people with visual, hearing and / or voice impairments with other people around.

The device according to the present invention operates as follows in accordance with the method of receiving and transmitting information according to the present invention.

The transmitted alphanumeric signals, defined as points in the braille, are compiled and transmitted pointwise by sequential or simultaneous formation of the corresponding contacts between the contact groups of the device located on the fingertips of the glove and on the palm of the hand. The connection of certain contacts with each other indicate certain points in the symbol, sign or letter of the font of Louis Braille. Corresponding characters of the Louis Braille font and letters and numbers of all possible layouts and languages can be used, including languages based on Latin, Cyrillic, etc.

When implementing one of the variants of the method according to the present invention, when the characters defined as points in Braille are composed and transmitted sequentially, the formation of contact between the contact group (4) on the middle finger and the contact group on the palm of the hand (7) corresponds to point 1, the formation of contact between the contact group (5) on the ring finger and the contact group (7) on the palm corresponds to point 2, the formation of contact between the contact group (3) on the index finger and the contact group (7) on the palm, respectively point 3, the formation of contact between the contact group on the little finger (6) and the contact group (7) on the palm corresponds to point 4, the formation of contact between the contact group (4) on the middle finger and the contact group (2) on the thumb corresponds to point 5, the formation of contact between the contact group (5) on the ring finger and the contact group (2) on the thumb corresponds to point 6 (see Fig. 3).

When implementing one of the variants of the method according to the present invention, when the characters defined as points in the braille are composed and transmitted simultaneously, the formation of contact between the contact group (4) on the middle finger and the contact group on the palm of the hand (7) corresponds to point 1, the formation of contact between the contact group (S) on the ring finger and the contact group (7) on the palm corresponds to point 2, the formation of contact between the contact group (3) on the index finger and the contact group (7) on the palm corresponds point 3, the formation of contact between the contact group on the little finger (6) and the contact group (7) on the palm corresponds to point 4, the formation of contact between the contact group (A) on the outside of the index finger and the contact group (2) on the thumb corresponds to the point 5, the formation of contact between the contact group (B) on the outside of the index finger and the contact group (2) on the thumb corresponds to point 6 (see Fig. 4). This configuration allows the simultaneous formation of contact between contact groups (A) and (B) and contact group (2) on the thumb to simultaneously receive points 5 and 6 in Braille, which, in turn, allows you to instantly create a symbol that simultaneously includes points 5 and 6 in braille.

For example, to enter the letter “A” in Braille in both Latin and Cyrillic letters, you need to touch the contact group (7) on the palm with the contact group (4) of the middle finger. To enter the Latin letter “C” in Braille, you must touch the contact group (7) in the palm of your hand with the contact groups (4) and (5) of the middle and ring fingers. To enter the Cyrillic letter “C” in Braille, contact groups (5) and (3) of the ring and index fingers need to touch the contact group (7) on the palm, and also contact group (2) of the thumb to touch the contact group (A) on the outside index finger while simultaneously forming the character of the letter “C” in Braille, or by the contact group (2) of the thumb, touch the contact group (4) on the middle finger while sequentially forming the character of the letter “C” in Braille.

After entering the information, the Braille signal is correlated with the letter of the alphabet and displayed on the computer or smartphone in visual form in the form of a letter of the alphabet of the language (Russian, English or other). Also, using software installed on a computer or smartphone, it is possible to convert the entered text into speech.

When receiving information in the form of text on a display or in a file on a computer or smartphone, or in the form of speech of a person communicating with a user of the device according to the present invention, the received signals, defined as points in Braille, are converted into vibration of the corresponding vibration signaling devices located on the back of the distal phalanges of the fingers and on the back of the hand (see Fig. 2). The vibration indicator located on the middle finger corresponds to point 1, the vibration indicator on the ring finger corresponds to point 2, the vibration indicator on the index finger corresponds to point 3, the vibration indicator on the little finger corresponds to point 4, the vibration indicator on the thumb corresponds to point 5, and the vibration indicator on the back of the hand corresponds to point 6.

Although these inventions are described in detail above, for a person skilled in the art, it is obvious that changes can be made and equivalent replacements made, and such changes and replacements are not beyond the scope of the present invention, which are defined by the attached claims.

Claims (21)

1. A device in the form of a glove for receiving and transmitting information via Braille, comprising: - contact groups located on the inside of the five fingers and on the palm of the hand and used to transmit signals, while one connection between different contact groups is defined as one point in Braille, and - vibration signaling devices located on the back of the distal phalanges of the five fingers and on the back of the hand and used to receive signals, while one vibration signal transmitted to a specific finger or to the back of the hand corresponds to one point in Braille. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact groups used to transmit signals are located at the fingertips and on the palm of the hand. 3. The device according to claim 2, containing two additional contact groups located on the side surface of the index finger. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the contact groups are made of conductive material. 5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that said device comprises a fixing element on the wrist. 6. The method of receiving and transmitting information through Braille using the device according to claim 1, in which: - transmitted signals, defined as points in Braille, are formed by sequential or simultaneous formation of the corresponding contacts between the contact groups of the device; - received signals, defined as points in Braille, are converted into vibration of the corresponding vibration signaling devices; - the conversion of Braille into alphabetical characters or speech and vice versa is provided using software installed on a computer or smartphone connected to the specified device. 7. A device in the form of a glove for receiving and transmitting information via Braille according to any one of paragraphs. 1 to 5, which further comprises a control unit for analyzing and converting data, as well as receiving and transmitting signals, connected by electrical wires to contact groups and vibration alarms. 8. The device according to claim 7, characterized in that said control unit is configured to be connected to a computer or smartphone for receiving and transmitting signals by wire or wireless. 9. The device according to p. 8, characterized in that the reception and transmission of signals is carried out via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 10. The method of receiving and transmitting information through Braille using the device according to claim 7, in which: - the transmitted signals, defined by the control unit as points in the braille, are formed by sequential or simultaneous formation of the corresponding contacts between the contact groups of the device; - the received signals, defined by the control unit as points in Braille, are converted into vibration of the corresponding vibration signaling devices; - the control unit receives and transmits signals between the specified device and the computer or smartphone. 11. The method according to p. 10, characterized in that the conversion of Braille to alphabetical characters or speech and vice versa is provided using the appropriate software installed on a computer or smartphone. 12. The method according to p. 10, characterized in that the control unit is connected to a computer or smartphone wired or wirelessly. 13. The method according to p. 12, characterized in that the control unit is connected to a computer or smartphone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

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