JPH10301482A - Braille information transmission input key - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] In a Braille information transmission device, when a switch function for inputting Braille and a Braille presentation function are conventionally provided to one input key, the input key is used even when tactilely reading Braille. It was displaced up and down, and stable reading of Braille was not possible. An input key (3) incorporates an element (1) for applying a tactile stimulus to a tactile finger, and a pressure detecting means (4) incorporating a pressure detecting element for detecting a change in the pressing pressure of the key and the pressing pressure. Structure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a Braille information transmission input key that can also serve as a word processor for a visually impaired person, a personal computer, or a data input device of various key input type information devices.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a means for a visually impaired person to obtain electronic character information as Braille information, a Braille information transmitting device comprising 30 to 40 6-point Braille presenters per line has been put to practical use. In using this Braille information transmission device, a tactile reader reads one character of Braille while moving his or her finger back and forth or left and right, and further reads one character at a time to the right. In order to read a document of several lines, this operation is repeated line by line while repeating the reading.

[0003] A Braille information transmission device using only a six-point Braille presenter for one character in this Braille information transmission device (hereinafter referred to as method 1) has been put to practical use. This Braille information transmission device presents one word or all sentences one character at a time at a preset presentation speed.

As another example of a Braille presenting apparatus, an input key having both an input key function and a Braille information presenting function as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-43803, entitled "Braille Input Key" (hereinafter referred to as "method 2"). ). This is 6
Six-point braille input by the input keys can be confirmed through a tactile stimulation mechanism incorporated in the input keys.

[0005] In the Braille information transmitting apparatus using the input keys of the methods 1 and 2, when performing the braille presentation control,
Multiple inputs different from the Braille presenter for key operation for sending Braille one character at a time, key operation for changing the Braille presentation speed, and re-presentation operation for reconfirming already presented characters Keys are required, and key input operations are performed according to each purpose. The input keys used for these operations have a general switch function. Also, the input key incorporating the tactile stimulus mechanism of the method 2 is merely a general switch having the tactile stimulus mechanism incorporated therein, and cannot perform braille presentation control.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application No. 8-25 filed by the present applicant
An input key incorporating a tactile stimulus mechanism composed of an actuator such as a piezoelectric element and a stimulating pin, such as a No. 2765 "Braille information transmission input key", is provided with a displacement detection element of the input key such as a variable resistor. There is also a Braille information transmission input key (hereinafter, referred to as method 3) having a switch function as Braille input means and a control function such as a Braille presentation speed.

[0007]

When a visually impaired person performs a database search and wants to shift to acquisition of another information while reading a certain information, some sort of information is transmitted as a will display. Although an input operation is required, the organ performing the input operation is generally the same finger as the organ performing the tactile reading operation. In consideration of matching with a finger having both input and output functions, it is necessary to provide a Braille presenter with an input function (an input key has a Braille presentation function) from the viewpoint of ease of use.

However, with the conventional Braille input key, the above method 2
When using a Braille presenter that incorporates a tactile stimulus mechanism into the input keys as in Method 3 or Method 3, since the Braille presentation section is on the input keys, unless the input keys are fixed when reading Braille, The input key, which is the tactile reading part, is displaced up and down,
There was a problem that it was not possible to read stably.
In particular, in the method 3, the input key cannot be fixed at the time of braille reading due to the use of the displacement detection element of the input key in order to enable the control of the presentation speed of the braille.

Furthermore, in order to efficiently perform information retrieval by tactile reading, it is necessary to be able to skip or peruse the reading, and the Braille information transmitting device is required to have a function of controlling the presentation speed while tactile reading. . In a conventional Braille information transmission device such as the method 1 or the method 2, presentation is performed according to operation of a character update key, or automatic Braille update presentation is performed. When the tactile reader reads tactile Braille, the tactile reader performs a one-character update operation of the presented character, or reads at a preset automatic presentation speed. Therefore, in order to change the presentation state, it is necessary to set the Braille presentation condition using another input key provided separately from the Braille presenter.

[0010] In particular, in the system in which six to eight fingers are placed on the Braille presentation unit and tactilely read (method 2), the number of remaining fingers that can operate another input key is small, so that the remaining fingers can be operated. Unless the key is arranged at a position where it can be made, there is a problem that the tactile finger must be separated from the braille presentation part when changing the braille presentation condition during tactile reading. Further, changing the presentation state of Braille or the presentation speed of Braille requires input keys corresponding to the respective control items, and there is also a problem in terms of miniaturization of the Braille information transmission device.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a Braille incorporating a tactile stimulus mechanism capable of stably reading without the input keys being displaced up and down even when Braille is read (displaced in Method 2 or Method 3). To provide an information transmission input key. A second object of the present invention is to provide an electronic character document, a personal computer communication, a character broadcast, a word processor, and the like, in order to be able to use the electronic character information as a Braille information transmitting device for obtaining Braille information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a Braille information transmission input key incorporating a tactile stimulus mechanism capable of controlling Braille input speed and Braille presentation speed with a plurality of input keys. By achieving these first and second objects, it becomes possible to stably read Braille without releasing the touch finger from the input key,
A small and portable Braille information transmitting device with good operability can be realized.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, an input key of a Braille information transmitting device is operated by a switch based on the vertical displacement of the key (for example, method 3). Don't structure)
A pressure detection element such as a strain gauge or a piezoelectric element (generally, the pressure detection element is a built-in pressure detection means) is used to detect the input key pressing and pressing operation, and is further composed of an actuator such as a piezoelectric element and a stimulation pin. The system incorporates a braille information presentation mechanism. Further, the change of the key pressing pressure and the key pressing pressure due to the keying and pressing operation of the input key can be separated and taken out in correspondence with the switching signal and the control signal of the Braille presentation speed, respectively. By configuring the input keys in this manner, it is possible to stably read Braille without moving a tactile finger (no coordinate movement in a three-dimensional space) and to control the Braille presentation state during tactile reading. .

That is, the input key for transmitting Braille information of the present invention has a built-in element for applying a tactile stimulus to a tactile finger, and a pressure detecting element for detecting a change in the pressing pressure of the key and the pressing pressure. A built-in pressure detecting means is attached.

Further, the present invention provides a Braille information transmission input key, which is provided on the output side of the pressure detecting means, for separately extracting the change of the depressing pressure and the depressing pressure from an output signal of the pressure detecting means. And low-pass filters are connected.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below based on embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG.
Shows an embodiment of the structure of the Braille information transmission input key according to the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an element for applying a tactile stimulus to a tactile finger, that is, a stimulation pin, and reference numeral 2 denotes an actuator such as a piezoelectric element for driving the stimulation pin 1 up and down (indicated by a broken line in the figure). This actuator 2
Any device can be used as long as the stimulation pin 1 can be moved up and down, and for example, a voice coil motor, a stepping motor, or the like is used. Reference numeral 3 denotes an input key for inputting Braille, and 4 denotes a pressure detecting unit for detecting a change in a key pressing pressure and a pressing pressure when a tactile reader performs a key input operation by keying and pressing the input key 3. is there. Here, the input key 3 is attached to the pressure detecting unit 4, and the pressure detecting unit 4 incorporates, for example, a pressure detecting element such as a strain gauge or a piezoelectric element (this will be described later), and The change and the pressing pressure are converted into an electric signal and can be taken out through the connector 5. These structures (braille information transmission input keys according to the present invention) are all mounted on a base 6 as shown in the figure.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which the pressure detector 4 (see FIG. 1) detects a change in the pressing pressure of the input key 3 shown in FIG.
An example of signal processing for separating and extracting a switching signal for inputting Braille and a control signal such as a presentation speed of Braille is shown. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 7 denotes a built-in pressure detection unit 4 (see FIG. 1),
This is a pressure detecting element that changes the pressing pressure of the key by the keying and pressing operations (see FIG. 1) and converts the pressing pressure into an electric signal. Reference numeral 8 denotes a high-pass filter for extracting a switching signal as the original Braille input means from an electric signal corresponding to a change in the key pressing pressure,
An AC voltage (pulse-like signal) in a region having a high frequency component, which is generated when a Braille character is input by a keying operation, is selectively extracted. Since the switching signal as the Braille input means only needs to detect the rising edge of the change in the depressing pressure, the output of the high-pass filter is binarized by threshold processing or the like to obtain a switching signal from the viewpoint of preventing malfunction. Reference numeral 9 denotes a low-pass filter for extracting a control signal having a control function such as a Braille presentation speed from an electric signal corresponding to a pressing pressure of the input key. Selectively extract voltage. The extracted DC voltage can be used for braille presentation speed control, and an output signal of a specific input key can be used as another presentation control signal such as re-presentation. Note that the cutoff frequency of each filter is determined experimentally.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a word processor input key type braille information transmission device for the visually impaired using the present invention. One stimulus pin 1 is incorporated in each of the six input keys 3 corresponding to each point of the six-point braille, and each of the input keys 3 is a braille input unit, a braille presentation unit, and a braille presentation state control. Also serves as an input unit. The input of Braille is performed by a combination of keying operations of the six input keys 3. Further, in order to control the braille presentation speed, the tactile reader presses any one or a specific input key. That is, it is depressed more slowly than in the case of braille input (keystroke operation). The presenting pressure is detected to change the character presentation speed.

FIG. 3 shows a case where one stimulus pin is incorporated in each input key. However, the number of stimulus pins incorporated in each input key is not limited to one, and a plurality of stimulus pins may be provided. This example is another embodiment of the present invention and will be described next with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows, as another embodiment of the present invention, a single 6-point Braille presentation unit (composed of a stimulating pin 1 and an actuator 2) detects a change in the pressing pressure of the input key 3 shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows a case in which a pressure detecting unit 4 is added. When the input key of FIG. 4 is used as one input key of FIG.
The stimulus pins are operated in synchronization, and information corresponding to each point of the six-point braille is transmitted using a set of six stimulus pins. In addition, since the input key of FIG. 4 can independently control six stimulation pins, one key can present six-point braille. In this case, since it is not assumed that the input key 3 is used to perform the Braille input operation (switching), the signal obtained by performing the filtering process on the output signal of the pressure detection unit 4 is used to control the presentation speed of the six-point Braille or to re-display the Braille. It can be used as a plurality of control signals such as control.

FIG. 5 shows a structure in which a strain gauge is attached to a cantilever 11 and a minute amount of distortion of the cantilever 11 is detected as an example in which a strain gauge is used for detecting a change in the pushing pressure and the pushing pressure. FIG. 14 shows another embodiment of the Braille information transmission input key of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the strain gauge 10 attached to the cantilever 11 electrically changes the amount of strain of the cantilever 11 to which the input key 3 is attached, that is, the change in the pushing pressure acting on the cantilever 11 and the pushing pressure. Convert to a signal. In the case of the present embodiment, 12
The portion indicated by is not a pressure detecting portion but a simple spacer. In addition, as the pressure detecting element, a piezoelectric element that directly changes the pressing pressure of the input key and directly converts the pressing pressure into an electric signal, a pressure-sensitive element that replaces the electric resistance with a change, and the like can also be used. These pressure detecting elements are arranged between the input key 3 and the substrate 6 so as to be able to detect a change in the pressing pressure of the input key 3 and the pressing pressure as shown in FIGS.

[0020]

According to the present invention, the input key has a structure in which an element for giving a tactile stimulus to a tactile finger is incorporated, and a pressure detecting section for detecting a change in the pressing pressure of the input key and the pressing pressure. , And a pressure detection unit detects a keystroke and a pressing operation, so that one input key can have a switch function for inputting Braille and a Braille presentation function. Thus, even when reading Braille, stable reading can be performed without the input keys being displaced up and down.

Further, according to the present invention, the switching signal for inputting Braille and the control signal such as the Braille presentation speed can be separated by filtering the detection signals of the keying and pressing operations, so that tactile reading is possible. It is possible to adjust the presentation speed of Braille in a state where the input is performed, and it is possible to realize a small-sized and low-cost Braille information transmission device with an integrated input key capable of performing stable tactile reading.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the structure of a Braille information transmission input key according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a change in depressing pressure and a depressing pressure of a key caused by a keystroke and a pressing operation of an input key shown in FIG. FIG. 2 shows an example of signal processing.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a word processor input key type braille information transmission device for the visually impaired using the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention having a structure in which a pressure detecting unit for detecting a change in the press-down pressure of the input key and a press-down pressure shown in FIG. 1 is added to one 6-point Braille presentation unit. .

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the structure of the Braille information transmission input key of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stimulation pin 2 Actuator 3 Input key 4 Pressure detection part 5 Connector 6 Substrate 7 Pressure detection element 8 High-pass filter 9 Low-pass filter 10 Strain gauge 11 Cantilever 12 Spacer

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takuji Sekiguchi 1-10-11 Kinuta, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Japan Broadcasting Corporation Broadcasting Research Institute

Claims (2)

[Claims] An input key has a built-in element for giving a tactile stimulus to a tactile finger, and a pressure detecting means having a built-in pressure detecting element for detecting a change in the pressure for depressing the key and the pressure for depressing the key. Braille information transmission input key characterized by the following. 2. The Braille information transmission input key according to claim 1, wherein an output of said pressure detecting means is used to separate the change of said press-down pressure and the press-down pressure from an output signal of said means so as to be separated from each other. A Braille information transmission input key to which high-pass and low-pass filters are connected.