JP3603526B2 - Information input device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an information input device that performs different processing depending on whether or not a user is visually impaired. In particular, the present invention relates to an information input device that does not require a user to perform a special operation, The present invention relates to an information input device capable of easily and surely recognizing whether or not a person is a person.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In an information input device such as an automatic transaction device (hereinafter, referred to as an ATM) represented by a cashing dispenser (hereinafter, referred to as a CD), a touch panel is provided on a display, and characters indicating an operation procedure and a human-powered location are provided on a screen. The information input device of the touch panel input method, which displays a symbol or the like indicating a symbol and allows a user to input desired information by touching an input area set in advance corresponding to the symbol with a finger, has become widespread. I have.
[0003]
However, since such a touch panel has no irregularities, it is difficult for visually impaired persons to recognize an effective touch area, and there is a problem that the operation is difficult. For this reason, at present, a function for assisting the operation of a visually impaired person by voice guidance or the like is added. However, since assistance such as voice guidance is not necessary for healthy persons other than visually impaired persons, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-21444, a function for distinguishing between healthy persons and visually impaired persons is provided. ATMs have been proposed in which voice guidance is provided only for visually impaired persons.
[0004]
Here, in the above-described conventional technology, the contact area on the touch panel is detected to identify whether or not the user is visually impaired, and when the contact area is relatively large, the user is visually impaired. Is automatically recognized as a person. This is based on the recognition that a visually impaired person cannot visually confirm the touch area, but must confirm it by groping, so that the contact area inevitably increases.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above-mentioned prior art is based on the recognition that "a visually impaired person touches the touch panel indiscriminately, so the contact area is larger than that of a healthy person". Is impossible for a visually impaired person to touch the touch panel unnecessarily, and the two cannot be distinguished from the contact area. That is, if the user is visually impaired, the user may trace the operation panel of the device to find braille display and operation buttons for the visually impaired, but do not touch the surface of the empty touch panel unnecessarily. Because. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately identify whether the user is a visually impaired person in the above-described related art.
[0006]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and to provide an information input device that performs different processing depending on whether or not the user is visually impaired. An object of the present invention is to provide an information input device which can easily and accurately determine whether or not the information is input.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-described object, the present invention is characterized in that the following means are taken in an information input device that executes different processing depending on whether a user is a visually impaired person. is there.
(1) A Braille recording member having Braille recorded on an exposed surface, reading sensing means for sensing that the user is tactilely reading the Braille, and a user based on the sensing result by the reading sensing means. And a determination unit for determining whether or not is a visually impaired person. According to such a configuration, only when a tactile reading operation is performed on Braille, the user is determined to be a visually impaired person. A user other than an impaired visually impaired person is not mistaken for a visually impaired person.
(2) a contact sensing unit that senses that the user is touching the exposed surface of the Braille recording member, and a trace that senses that the user is tracing the Braille of the Braille recording member. When the touch sensing means senses a contact by a user and the trace sensing means senses a trace by the user, the read tactilely senses the Braille of the Braille recording member. Recognized as reading. According to such a configuration, it is possible to distinguish between a case in which the Braille is only accidentally touched and a case in which a tactile reading operation is actually performed.
(3) The tracing sensing means detects the presence or absence of tracing based on the presence or absence of slight movement of the Braille recording member. According to such a configuration, it is possible to accurately and easily detect whether or not a tactile reading operation has been performed on Braille.
(4) The tracing sensing means determines that the Braille is being traced when the Braille recording member is slightly moved for a predetermined time or more. According to such a configuration, it is possible to distinguish between the case where the Braille recording member is slightly moved by accident and the case where the tactile reading operation is actually performed and the device is slightly moved.
[0008]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ATM 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As a configuration of an ordinary ATM, a touch panel 2 to which a user inputs information such as a personal identification number and a desired amount of payment, an operation procedure, A display 3 for displaying instruction guidance to the user and a cash slot 4 for taking in and out cash are provided on the operation panel 15. Further, in the present embodiment, a Braille sticker 5 having a visually impaired person identification function, which will be described in detail later, is attached to the operation panel 15 on the front side of the display 3 (see FIG. 2). This Braille seal 5 is made of a conductive material such as a metal plate, and Braille is recorded on the exposed surface. Also, on the front panel of the ATM 10, a voice output device 6 for guiding operation procedures, instruction guidance, and the like for the visually impaired by voice, a passbook slot 7 for putting in and out a passbook, and a card slot 8 for putting in and out a magnetic card are provided. Is provided.
[0009]
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the relative positional relationship between the display 3 and the Braille sticker 5, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 and a block diagram showing the configuration of a control system. . In FIG. 3, the conductive Braille seal 5 is fixed to the surface of the operation panel block 15a, and the operation panel block 15a is supported on the operation panel table 15b so as to be at least slightly movable in the horizontal direction in the figure. A microswitch 40 made of conductive silicon rubber is incorporated between the end surface of the operation panel block 15a and the operation panel base 15b. The microswitch 40 includes an elastic part 41, a movable part 42, and a conductive part 43. A pair of electrodes 61 and 62 are formed on the end surface of the operation panel base 15b at a position facing the conductive portion 43.
[0010]
On the other hand, the control device 20 of the ATM 10 is electrically connected to the Braille seal 5 and the pair of electrodes 61 and 62, and senses whether the user is tactilely reading the Braille on the Braille seal 5. The reading sensing means 50 is connected. The reading sensing means 50 includes a contact sensing means 51 for detecting that the user has touched the Braille sticker 5 as a change in capacitance, and an electrode 61 for detecting that the user is tracing the Braille of the Braille sticker 5 with a finger. , 62 by a "tracing" sensing means 52 for detecting a change in the state of conduction between the two. The timer 9 measures the time during which the user touches the Braille sticker 5 and traces the Braille.
[0011]
Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the visually impaired person recognition process executed by the control device 20. In step S100, the control device 20 executes an initial setting process. As a result, the visually impaired person mode flag is reset, and the timer 9 is cleared. In the following step S102, the operation enters the operation waiting mode for the user, and waits until the user contacts the Braille sticker 5.
[0012]
Here, if the user is a visually impaired person, the effective touch area of the touch panel 2 cannot be recognized, and the user must search for braille prepared in the ATM 10 by groping. By this operation, the user touches the Braille sticker 5, and when this is sensed by the contact sensing means 51, the contact sensing means 51 notifies the control device 20 that the contact with the Braille seal 5 has been sensed. When detecting this notification in step S102, control device 20 proceeds to step S104. In step S104, the process waits until the tracing detection means 52 detects a "tracing" in Braille.
[0013]
Here, if the user is a visually impaired person, the user will trace the surface of the Braille sticker 5 with his / her finger to read Braille. However, as shown in FIG. 2, if the Braille sticker 5 is arranged horizontally long. For example, since the user traces the surface of the Braille sticker 5 from the left side to the right side in the figure to read Braille, the operation panel block 15a also slightly moves rightward with respect to the operation panel base 15b. As a result, from the beginning of the “tracing” to the end of the “tracing”, the movable part 42 of the microswitch 40 shifts rightward against the elasticity of the elastic part 41, and the conductive part 43 contacts the pair of electrodes 61 and 62. As a result, the electrodes become conductive. When this is detected by the tracing detection means 52, the tracing detection means 52 notifies the control device 20 that "tracing" has been detected. When detecting this notification in step S104, control device 20 proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the timer 9 is started to measure the time during which the braille is traced with the finger.
[0014]
In step S108, it is determined whether or not the time measured by the timer 9 has exceeded the scheduled time. If not, the output signal of the sensing means 52 is referred to in step S110, and the micro switch 40 is turned off. It is determined whether or not there is. If the micro switch 40 is turned off before the scheduled time has elapsed, the process returns to step S102 after clearing the timer 9 in step S118.
[0015]
If the micro switch 40 remains on even after the scheduled time has elapsed, the timer 9 is stopped in step S114, the visually impaired person mode flag is set in step S116, and the process ends. After recognizing that the user is a visually impaired person by referring to the visually impaired person mode flag, the control device 20 performs operation guidance by voice guidance to assist the operation of the visually impaired person, similarly to the related art. .
[0016]
On the other hand, a user other than the visually impaired can touch the effective touch area of the touch panel 2 without touching the braille sticker 5, so that the above-described recognition of the visually impaired is not performed, and Of the ATM is executed. Further, even if a user other than a visually impaired person erroneously touches the Braille sticker 5 to start the recognition process for the visually impaired, the Braille on the Braille sticker 5 is not traced in this case. Returns from step S104 to step S102 and waits. As described above, in the present embodiment, not only the user has touched the braille but also the visually impaired person is determined only when the user is actually tracing the braille. Never be mistaken for a visually impaired person.
[0017]
Further, although very rarely, a user other than a visually impaired person erroneously touches the Braille sticker 5 to start the visually impaired person recognition process, and the user erroneously traces the Braille seal 5. Even if there is a case, the time is so small that the scheduled time cannot be exceeded. Therefore, the process returns to step S102 through steps S106, 108, 110, 112, and 118, and waits as described above. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, a user other than a visually impaired person is not mistaken for a visually impaired person.
[0018]
In the above-described embodiment, the present invention has been described using an ATM (or CD) as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this and depends on whether or not the user is visually impaired. As long as the information input device performs a different process, it can be similarly applied to other information input devices.
[0019]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the operation panel block 15a slightly moves in the left-right direction, it is recognized that the Braille is traced. However, if the Braille is traced, a force is also generated in the vertical direction. It is also possible to recognize that braille has been traced when it is slightly moved up and down.
[0020]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the micro movement of the operation panel block 15a is described as being detected by the microswitch. However, a pressure sensor whose resistance value largely changes according to the pressing force is provided between the operation panel block 15a and the operation panel base 15b. The control panel block 15a may be inserted into the gap to detect fine movement of the operation panel block 15a based on a change in resistance.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, the following effects are achieved.
(1) According to the first aspect of the present invention, only when a tactile reading operation is performed on braille, the user is determined to be a visually impaired person. A person other than a visually impaired person who cannot perform a reading operation is not mistaken for a visually impaired person. Furthermore, according to the present invention, a visually impaired person can be recognized as a visually impaired person only by reading braille without performing any special operation, and can reliably receive necessary assistance.
(2) According to the invention of claim 2, since the user is judged not only to touch the braille but also to be visually impaired only when actually tracing the braille, the user accidentally touches the braille. A healthy person or the like is not mistaken for a visually impaired person.
(3) According to the invention of claim 3, it becomes possible to easily and accurately detect whether or not Braille is actually traced.
(4) According to the invention of claim 4, the case where the user accidentally touches the Braille and the Braille recording member slightly moves, and the case where the Braille is actually tactilely read and slightly moved. Can be distinguished.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ATM to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration around an ATM display.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
2 ... Touch panel, 3 ... Display, 5 ... Braille sticker, 10 ... ATM, 15 ... Operation panel, 15a ... Operation panel block, 15b ... Operation panel stand, 40 ... Micro switch, 41 ... Elastic part, 42 ... Movable part, 43 ... Conducting parts, 61, 62 ... Electrodes

Claims (2)

In an information input device that performs different processing depending on whether the user is a visually impaired person,
A Braille recording member with Braille recorded on the exposed surface,
A support member that supports the Braille recording member so as to be finely movable in the arrangement direction of Braille,
Contact sensing means for sensing that the user is touching the exposed surface of the Braille recording member,
Switch means for opening and closing contacts in response to fine movement of the support member,
An information input device, which executes control to assist a visually impaired person when a contact of a user is sensed by the contact sensing means and fine movement of a support member is sensed by the switch means . The information input device according to claim 1 , wherein when the support member is slightly moving for a predetermined time or more, control is performed to assist the visually impaired person .

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