Development of Handy Braille Reading Device
Yoshimichi Yonezawa, Kazunori Itoh · Transactions of the Society of Instrument and Control Engineers · 1988
A handy Braille reading device for various types of Braille has been developed for the blind who find difficulties in reading the Braille.Recently, the adventitious blind are increasing in number by the reason of increase of traffic accidents and diabetes. They find great difficulties in learning Braille, especially in reading Braille because their sense of finger tips become dull with age.The device is designed so that it can work just instead of finger tips by which the born blind read Braille, and is composed of a sensor and a personal computer with vocal output. At the sensor, the small projections which compose a Braille character are detected by a combination of phototransistors and optical fiber array, and are converted to electric signals. The location of projections are measured by a small rotary encorder. The signals are analized by the computer to vocalize the character.For some types of Braille, reading speed of 10cm/s comparable to reading speed by finger tips of normal blind was achieved.