System and method for braille assistance

• US 10,490,102 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2015
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Djugash, Joseph M. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yao, Samchuan C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Del Valle, Lily M
• Application Number:
  US14/618,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20160232817A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 434114
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/002 Writing aids for blind persons devices for Braille writing G09B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/02 Devices for Braille writing typewriters for Braille B41J3/32

Abstract

A braille teaching/autocorrecting system includes a camera configured to detect image data corresponding to at least one braille character. The braille teaching/autocorrecting system also includes a processor coupled to the camera and configured to identify the at least one braille character based on the image data and determine feedback data based on the identification of the at least one braille character.

Claims

1. A system for at least one of teaching or autocorrecting braille comprising:

a stylus having a tip and being configured to be pressed against and to indent a substrate;

a camera configured to detect image data corresponding to one or more indentations made within the substrate using the stylus;

a processor coupled to the camera and configured to;

determine selected locations that include one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate, the selected locations corresponding to locations on the substrate at which the tip of the stylus was pressed against and indented the substrate based on a specific braille character being written and to braille locations within a braille cell,

identify at least one braille character based on the selected locations by comparing the selected locations to the braille locations within the braille cell,

determine at least one alphanumeric character corresponding to the at least one braille character based on the at least one braille character,

determine a potential word that fits contextually with previous-words based on a comparison of the selected locations that include the one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate to correct locations of one or more protrusions corresponding to a correct braille character, and

determine feedback data based on the at least one alphanumeric character corresponding to the at least one braille character and the potential word;

an output device coupled to the processor and configured to output the feedback data; and

an input device coupled to the processor and configured to receive user input that indicates that the potential word is a selected word, wherein the processor is further configured to;

autocomplete the at least one braille character with remaining characters of the potential word in response to the user input indicating that the potential word is the selected word.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the selected locations that include the one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate to correct locations of the one or more protrusions corresponding to the correct braille character; and

determine that the selected locations do not match the correct locations, wherein

the feedback data informs a user that the selected locations do not match the correct locations.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein to determine that the selected locations do not match the correct locations the processor is further configured to:

determine that one of the selected locations was incorrectly selected based on the comparison; and

determine that the at least one braille character corresponds to a misspelling of a word or an incorrectly-written braille character based on the determination that one of the selected locations was incorrectly selected.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a correctly-written braille character of the potential word; and

replace the incorrectly-written braille character with the correctly-written braille character in response to determining that the at least one braille character corresponds to the misspelling of the word or the incorrectly-written braille character.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising two elongate members and wherein the camera is capable of detecting a position of the two elongate members and the processor is further configured to determine a size of a braille cell based on the position of the two elongate members.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one braille character is reverse-oriented.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the at least one braille character is written in a reverse direction.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an upper portion having a first end and a second end and configured to rest on a neck of a user;

a first lower portion coupled to the first end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a first shoulder of the user; and

a second lower portion coupled to the second end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a second shoulder of the user,

wherein the camera is positioned on a front surface of the first lower portion or the second lower portion.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether the at least one braille character is forward-oriented or reverse-oriented based on the image data, a reverse-oriented braille character corresponding to a mirror image of a forward-oriented braille character, and to determine the at least one alphanumeric character further based on the determination of whether the at least one braille character is forward-oriented or reverse-oriented.

10. A system for at least one of teaching or autocorrecting braille comprising:

a camera configured to detect image data including one or more indentations made within a substrate using a stylus having a tip, the image data corresponding to at least one reverse-oriented braille character which is a mirror image of a standard representation of the at least one reverse-oriented braille character;

a processor coupled to the camera and configured to;

determine selected locations that include one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate, the selected locations corresponding to locations on the substrate at which the tip of the stylus was pressed against and indented the substrate based on a specific reverse-oriented braille character being written and to braille locations within a braille cell,

identify the at least one reverse-oriented braille character based on the selected locations by comparing the selected locations to the braille locations within the braille cell,

determine that the at least one reverse-oriented braille character is reverse-oriented based on the image data,

determine at least one alphanumeric character corresponding to the at least one reverse-oriented braille character based on the image data and the determination that the at least one reverse-oriented braille character is reverse-oriented,

compare the selected locations that include the one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate to correct locations of one or more protrusions corresponding to a correct braille character,

determine that the selected locations are missing an indentation or have an additional indentation in comparison to the correct locations based on the comparison,

determine a potential word that fits contextually with previous-words in response to the determination that the selected locations are missing the indentation or have the additional indentation, and

determine feedback data based on the at least one alphanumeric character corresponding to the at least one reverse-oriented braille character and the potential word;

an output device coupled to the processor and configured to output the feedback data; and

an input device coupled to the processor and configured to receive user input that indicates that the potential word is a selected word, wherein the processor is further configured to;

autocomplete the at least one braille character with remaining characters of the potential word in response to the user input indicating that the potential word is the selected word.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising two elongate members and wherein the image data includes a position of the two elongate members and the processor is further configured to determine a size of a braille cell based on the position of the two elongate members.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the at least one reverse-oriented braille character is written in a reverse direction.

13. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

an upper portion having a first end and a second end and configured to rest on a neck of a user;

a first lower portion coupled to the first end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a first shoulder of the user; and

a second lower portion coupled to the second end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a second shoulder of the user,

wherein the camera is positioned on a front surface of the first lower portion or the second lower portion.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

an input/output port coupled to the processor; and

a computing device such that the processor and the input/output port are positioned on the computing device,

wherein the camera is positioned remote from the computing device and coupled to the computing device via the input/output port.

15. A system for at least one of teaching or autocorrecting braille comprising:

a camera configured to detect image data corresponding to one or more indentations made within a substrate using a stylus having a tip;

a processor coupled to the camera and configured to;

determine selected locations that include one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate, the selected locations corresponding to locations on the substrate at which the tip of the stylus was pressed against and indented the substrate based on a specific braille character being written and to braille locations within a braille cell;

identify at least one braille character based on the selected locations by comparing the selected locations to the braille locations within the braille cell,

determine at least one alphanumeric character based on the at least one braille character,

determine a potential word that fits contextually with previous-words based on a comparison of the selected locations that include the one or more protrusions that extend away from the substrate to correct locations of one or more protrusions corresponding to a correct braille character, and

determine feedback data based on the at least one alphanumeric character corresponding to the at least one braille character and the potential word;

an output device coupled to the processor and configured to output the feedback data; and

an input device coupled to the processor and configured to receive user input that indicates that the potential word is a selected word, wherein the processor is further configured to;

autocomplete the at least one braille character with remaining characters of the potential word in response to the user input indicating that the potential word is the selected word.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising two elongate members and wherein the image data includes a position of the two elongate members and the processor is further configured to determine a size of a braille cell based on the position of the two elongate members.

17. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

an upper portion having a first end and a second end and configured to rest on a neck of a user;

a first lower portion coupled to the first end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a first shoulder of the user; and

a second lower portion coupled to the second end of the upper portion and configured to rest on a second shoulder of the user,

wherein the camera is positioned on a front surface of the first lower portion or the second lower portion.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine a direction in which the at least one braille character is being written based on the image data, and

determine whether the at least one braille character is forward-oriented or reverse-oriented based on the image data, a reverse-oriented braille character corresponding to a mirror image of a forward-oriented braille character,

wherein to determine the at least one alphanumeric character is further based on the direction in which the at least one braille character is being written and the determination of whether the at least one braille character is forward-oriented or reverse-oriented.