Conversation system and conversation apparatus

Abstract

To realize a conversation apparatus for facilitating conversations by means of finger braille or finger spelling.SOLUTION: A conversation apparatus (200) includes: a plurality of input units (51) including acceleration sensors for receiving operation inputs related to operations such as finger braille or finger spelling performed by a user; and a controller (55) including signal generation means for generating a character signal for instructing operation of at least one transmission unit (motor) of another apparatus (50) of a conversation partner on the basis of an acceleration signal corresponding to the operation input by the acceleration sensors (51), and transmission means for transmitting the character signal generated by the signal generation means to the other apparatus (50).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conversation device or conversation system. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Finger Braille has been known as a method for communicating information (communicating) between people who are visually or hearing impaired, or people who are both visually or hearing impaired (deaf-blind). "Finger Braille" is a method of transmitting six-dot Braille signals by touching the pads of the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right and left hands of a person who is deaf-blind with the backs of the fingers. In other words, in "finger braille," the six dots that make up a braille character representing one character correspond to six fingers (for example, the index, middle, and ring fingers of each hand). By touching the other person's body with one or more fingers in a combination that corresponds to the character you want to communicate, you can communicate that character to them. By continuously touching the other person with the combination of fingers that represent the character, you can communicate a phrase consisting of a series of characters. As long as you can understand which braille (character) is being communicated, you can use any part of your body to touch the other person. However, by using the six fingers used in finger braille, you can more intuitively understand which character the other person is trying to communicate. In addition to "finger braille," there is also "finger alphabet." Finger alphabet is used as a substitute for or complement to sign language, allowing people who are deaf or deaf-blind to communicate (converse). Finger alphabet is a language in which the shape of the hand, created by a combination of bending the fingers and orientation, corresponds to a letter. Recently, devices have become known that transmit "finger braille" by electrical means to facilitate communication using finger braille. Patent Document 1 discloses a conversation device equipped with six buttons (switches) for inputting finger braille. Each switch corresponds to a braille character. The operating piece of each switch is provided with a vibrating piece. When a button is operated on the transmitting conversation device A, a signal corresponding to the button operation is transmitted via a cable to the other conversation device B. In the other conversation device, a vibrating element attached to the corresponding switch vibrates in response to the input signal, transmitting finger braille. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-230782 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conversation device of Patent Document 1, the buttons used for inputting finger braille are also used as a means for transmitting finger braille. Furthermore, because the button is located on the device itself, users who communicate in Finger Braille must constantly touch the button while communicating, which significantly limits their activities and causes inconvenience. For example, it is extremely difficult to communicate in Finger Braille while jogging or enjoying other sports. Furthermore, although a device for transmitting finger braille is already known as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a device for transmitting finger spellings by electrical means to facilitate communication using finger spelling has not been known. Furthermore, no device has been proposed to facilitate communication between deaf-blind people and deaf people. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has an object to provide a conversation device or conversation system that makes it easier to have conversations using finger braille or fingerspelling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the conversation system of the present invention is a conversation system for transmitting text information between a transmitting user and a receiving user, and is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of operation means for the transmitting user to input operations related to the text information, a plurality of transmission means that are attachable to the body of the receiving user, a signal generation means that generates a character signal that instructs the operation of at least one transmission means based on the operation input by the operation means, and a transmission control means that transmits finger braille to the receiving user by operating the transmission means in accordance with the finger braille signal generated by the signal generation means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] As configured as described above, the present invention can realize a conversation device or conversation system that makes it easier to have conversations using finger braille or fingerspelling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a chat system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of a chat system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the chat system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a chat system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of a chat system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of a chat system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a received signal list according to a second embodiment of the present invention and processing corresponding to the contents of the list. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a first example of mounting and operation of the bidirectional device of the present embodiment. [Figure 9]10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a second example of mounting and operating the bidirectional device of the present embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating finger alphabets. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a finger alphabet device. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism by which the finger alphabet device of the present embodiment detects finger alphabets; [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism by which the finger alphabet device of the present embodiment detects finger alphabets; [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism by which the finger alphabet device of the present embodiment detects finger alphabets; [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism by which the finger alphabet device of the present embodiment detects finger alphabets; [Figure 16] 1 is a diagram illustrating a mechanism by which the finger alphabet device of the present embodiment detects finger alphabets; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. This embodiment relates to a finger braille device, which is a conversation device that transmits finger braille by electrical means and facilitates communication using finger braille, and a conversation system that uses a finger spelling device, which is a conversation device that transmits finger spelling by electrical means and facilitates communication using finger spelling. First, a conversation system using finger braille will be described as a first embodiment and a second embodiment. [First Example] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a chat system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The system 1 according to the first embodiment assumes that users of the system are a transmitting user and a receiving user who receives information in finger braille. The system 1 is configured so that the transmitting user transmits finger braille to the receiving user in one direction. The receiving user is assumed to be, for example, a deaf-blind person who is visually and hearing impaired. System 1 comprises a transmitting side finger braille device (hereinafter simply referred to as the transmitting side device) 10 used by a user who transmits finger braille, such as a transmitting side user, and a receiving side finger braille device (hereinafter simply referred to as the receiving side device) 20 used by a user who receives finger braille, such as a receiving side user.

[0009] The transmitter side device 10 includes an input device 11 having buttons (operation means) and switches for performing input operations that mimic finger braille, and a controller 15 that generates finger braille signals based on input operations on the input device 11 and transmits the generated finger braille signals to the receiver side device 20 via wired or wireless communication. The input device 11 has an input device main body (housing) 11a and six buttons (operation means) 12a to 12f. The buttons 12a to 12f are provided, for example, to protrude from the outer surface of the input device main body 11a.

[0010] In finger braille, the six dots that make up a braille character representing one character correspond to six fingers (index finger, middle finger, ring finger, etc. on both hands). The character you want to communicate is communicated to the other person by touching a part of their body with one or more fingers in a combination that corresponds to the character you want to communicate. The input device 11 of this embodiment has buttons 12a-12f corresponding to each of these fingers, and accepts input operations simulating finger braille by turning on / off a switch provided corresponding to each button. As an example, button 12a corresponds to the ring finger of the transmitting user's left hand, button 12b corresponds to the middle finger of the left hand, and button 12c corresponds to the index finger of the left hand. Also, button 12d corresponds to the index finger of the transmitting user's right hand, button 12e corresponds to the middle finger of the right hand, and button 12f corresponds to the ring finger of the right hand. In FIG. 1, six buttons are arranged on one input device, but it is also possible to separate the input device 11 for the right hand and the input device 11 for the left hand, and provide three finger buttons 12a to 12c and 12d to 12f on each input device body. When the communicator inputs finger braille while walking or running, it is preferable to use both hands and hold an input device for each hand.

[0011] The switches of the input device 11 have a well-known structure. When a user presses a button, the contact connected to the button comes into contact with the terminal, turning the switch on. When the user stops pressing the button, the contact separates from the terminal, turning the switch off. The on state of the switch corresponds to the contact state of the corresponding finger in finger braille, and the off state corresponds to the non-contact state of the corresponding finger.

[0012] The receiver-side device 20 is equipped with transmission units (transmission means) 25a to 25f worn on the body of the receiver-side user to transmit finger Braille, and a controller 21 that controls transmission unit 25. As an example, transmission unit 25a corresponds to the ring finger of the receiver-side user's left hand, transmission unit 25b corresponds to the middle finger of the left hand, and transmission unit 25c corresponds to the index finger of the left hand. Furthermore, transmission unit 25d corresponds to the index finger of the right hand, transmission unit 25e corresponds to the middle finger of the right hand, and transmission unit 25f corresponds to the ring finger of the right hand. In the controller 21, the controller 15 of the transmitter side device 10 receives the finger braille signal and outputs a drive signal based on the finger braille signal to the transmission unit 25 (25a to 25f). Each of the vibrating elements provided in the transmitting units 25a to 25f vibrates based on a drive signal input from the controller 21 based on a finger braille signal received from the transmitter side device 10, thereby transmitting finger braille.

[0013] In this way, the vibrating element vibrates based on a drive signal corresponding to a finger braille signal that imitates finger braille input to the input device 11 of the transmitter device 10, and the receiver user perceives the finger braille uttered by the transmitter user through their sense of touch. Therefore, the transmitter user and receiver user can have a conversation using finger braille. There are various ways to attach transmission unit 25 to the fingers. As shown in Fig. 1, transmission unit 25 is provided inside the finger portion of glove-shaped cover 30 that covers the entire hand, and transmission unit 25 can be attached to the body by wearing this cover 30 on the hand. Alternatively, the transmission unit 25 may be provided inside a finger cot-like cover, and the transmission unit 25 may be attached to the finger by placing the cover over the finger.

[0014] Alternatively, the transmission unit 25 may be provided on a grip-shaped main body that is held by the user. This is suitable for the case where the user receives finger braille while exercising, such as running. That is, recesses are provided in the main body at the locations where the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger will come into contact when the user grips the device, and the transmission unit 25 is provided at the bottom of these recesses. With this configuration, by gripping the main body, the vibrating elements of the transmission unit 25 can be brought into contact with the pads of each finger. In this state, the vibrating elements vibrate, allowing the user to easily recognize Finger Braille.

[0015] As described above, the input device 11 of the transmitter side device 10 can be configured as separate input devices for the left and right hands. The input devices for each hand may also have a grip-like structure with recesses at the locations where the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger will come into contact when the user holds the device. The bottom of these recesses is provided with buttons 12. With this configuration, by gripping the input device body, the buttons 12 can be easily operated, and the user can input finger braille in a convenient manner.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of a conversation system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the configuration of a transmitter device and (b) shows the configuration of a receiver device. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the transmitter side device 10 is provided with six switches 13a to 13f that correspond to six buttons 12a to 12f that are operated by the transmitter side user and that detect button depression operations. The transmitter device 10 also includes a control unit 16 and a wireless communication unit 17. The control unit 16 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes programs, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs and fixed data, and a RAM (Read Only Memory) that serves as a work memory for expanding programs and data for execution by the CPU. The control unit 16 performs processing to generate finger braille signals based on operation signals from the switches 13a to 13f by causing the CPU to execute a predetermined program. The wireless communication unit 17 superimposes the finger Braille signal generated and output by the control unit 16 onto a wireless signal based on a predetermined protocol, and controls output from an antenna (not shown).

[0017] The buttons 12a to 12f and the switches 13a to 13f are components that are included in the input device 11 described with reference to FIG. The buttons 12a to 12f are provided on the surface of the housing (main body) of the input device 11, and the switches 13a to 13f are built into the input device main body 11a. The control unit 16 and the wireless communication unit 17 are components that are included in the controller 15 described with reference to FIG. 1, the input device 11 and the controller 15 are provided as separate units, but they may be provided as an integrated unit. That is, the configuration of the controller 15 may be built into the input device 11. When the input device 11 and the controller 15 are provided separately, the switch in the input device 11 and the control unit 16 in the controller 15 are connected via connectors (not shown) provided on the input device 11 and the controller 15.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the receiver side device 20 includes six vibrating arms 26a to 26f attached to the body of the receiver side user, for example, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the left hand and the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the right hand, which are typically used to recognize finger braille, and motors 27a to 27f for vibrating these vibrating arms 26a to 26f. Vibrating arm 26a and motor 27a constitute transmission unit 25a, vibrating arm 26b and motor 27b constitute transmission unit 25b, vibrating arm 26c and motor 27c constitute transmission unit 25c, vibrating arm 26d and motor 27d constitute transmission unit 25d, vibrating arm 26e and motor 27e constitute transmission unit 25e, and vibrating arm 26f and motor 27f constitute transmission unit 25f. The receiver device 20 also includes a control unit 22 and a wireless communication unit 23. The control unit 22 includes a CPU that executes programs, a ROM that stores programs and fixed data, and a RAM that serves as a work memory for developing programs and data for execution by the CPU. The control unit 16 performs processing to drive the motor 27 based on the received finger braille signal and vibrate the vibrating arm by causing the CPU to execute a predetermined program. The control unit 22 and the wireless communication unit 23 are components that are included in the controller 21 described with reference to FIG.

[0019] 1, the input device 11 and the controller 15 are provided as separate units, but they may be provided as an integrated unit. That is, the configuration of the controller 15 may be built into the input device 11. When the input device 11 and the controller 15 are provided separately, the switch in the input device 11 and the control unit 16 in the controller 15 are connected via connectors (not shown) provided on the input device 11 and the controller 15. When connected wirelessly, wireless communication between the controller 15 and the controller 21 is realized by Bluetooth (registered trademark). As is well known, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is a protocol that allows communication only between coupled devices. Therefore, even if multiple transmitter and receiver devices are used in a small space, there is no risk of Finger Braille signals being input from devices other than the intended conversation partner, which would interfere with the conversation.

[0020] The processing in this embodiment will be described in detail below. Finger Braille is a method of communicating a single character by touching a combination of one or more of the six dots that make up Braille with the fingers. Therefore, as an example, the finger Braille signal of this embodiment can be a signal that instructs the operation of one or more transmission units of the receiver side device 20 based on one or more operation signals generated by operating one or more buttons simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. The receiver side device 20 that has received the finger braille signal operates a designated transmission unit for a predetermined time to transmit the finger braille.

[0021] The controller of the receiver device 20, which will be described below, stores the received Finger Braille signals in a received signal list set in the RAM of the control unit. Then, drive signals based on the Finger Braille signals are output in the order stored in the received signal list. In this way, Finger Braille can be faithfully reproduced without any change in the order of Finger Braille. Whether a series of operations on multiple buttons is considered to be "simultaneous" operations to represent one character to be included in one finger Braille signal can be determined, for example, based on whether the interval between inputs of operation signals corresponding to button operations is within a predetermined time. Furthermore, even when one character is represented by multiple finger contacts (multiple button operations and multiple operation signals), one finger Braille signal may be sent for each operation signal.

[0022] Furthermore, the finger Braille signal may be one that specifies the on / off state of all the switches in the input device 11, rather than being generated and output for each input relating to one character or one dot. The transmitter device 10 always transmits such finger Braille signals to the receiver device 20. The receiver side device 20 that has received the finger braille signal transmits the finger braille by activating the corresponding transmission unit in accordance with the on / off state of the switch designated by the finger braille signal.

[0023] Figure 3 is a flowchart explaining the processing of the conversation system according to the first embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the processing flow by the control unit of the transmitter device, (b) shows the processing flow by the control unit of the receiver device, and (c) shows the received signal list according to the first embodiment and the processing corresponding to its contents. In FIG. 3(a), in step S11, the control unit 16 of the transmitter device 10 determines whether any of the buttons 12a to 12f has been operated and an operation signal has been input from any of the corresponding switches 13a to 13f. When it is determined that an operation signal has been input (Yes in step S11), the control unit 16 outputs a finger Braille signal corresponding to the operation signal to the wireless communication unit 17 and transmits it to the receiver side device 20 in step S12.

[0024] In FIG. 3(b), the control unit 22 of the receiver-side device 20 determines in step S21 whether or not a finger Braille signal has been received from another device (the transmitter-side device 10). When it is determined that a finger braille signal has been received (Yes in step S21), the control unit 22 adds the content of the finger braille signal to the end of the received signal list in step S22, and ends the process. If it is determined that a finger braille signal has not been received (No in step S21), the control unit 22 determines in step S23 whether or not all finger braille signals in the received signal list have been processed. If it is determined that all finger braille signals have not been processed (No in step S23), the control unit 22 outputs a drive signal to drive a motor corresponding to the content of the finger braille signal at the top of the received signal list in step S24. Then, in step 25, the control unit 25 deletes the processed finger Braille signal from the received signal list. If it is determined that all finger Braille signals have been processed (Yes in step S23), the control unit 22 ends the process.

[0025] In FIG. 3(c), (c-1) shows a received signal list, and (c-2) shows the corresponding processing. For example, in the received signal list of (c-1), the finger braille signal received from the communicator device 10 is stored in input order 1 to the control unit 22. This signal indicates that the switch 13a has been turned on in the communicator device 10. In response to this, the control unit 16 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 27a corresponding to the switch 13a specified by the finger braille signal. The finger braille signal received from the communicator device 10 is stored in input sequence 2 to the control unit 22. This signal indicates that the switch 13f has been turned on in the communicator device 10. In response to this, the control unit 16 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 27f corresponding to the switch 13f designated by the finger braille signal.

[0026] The finger braille signal received from the communicator device 10 is stored in input sequence 3 to the control unit 22. This signal indicates that the switch 13b has been turned on in the communicator device 10. In response to this, the control unit 16 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 27b corresponding to the switch 13b specified by the finger braille signal. The finger braille signal received from the communicator device 10 is stored in input sequence 4 to the control unit 22. This signal indicates that the switch 13c has been turned on in the communicator device 10. In response to this, the control unit 22 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 27c corresponding to the switch 13c designated by the finger braille signal.

[0027] Of the finger braille signals included in the received signal list in FIG. 3(c-1), only those for which one switch (a character using one dot) is specified are displayed. However, as described above, when multiple switches are turned on under predetermined time conditions, one finger braille signal may specify the on-operation of multiple switches. In this case, the control unit 22 outputs drive signals to drive multiple motors corresponding to the multiple switches specified by the finger braille signal. The explanation of FIG. 3 is for the case where the transmitter device 10 generates and outputs a finger Braille signal for each input related to one character or one dot, and the receiver device 20 receives the signal. If the transmitter device 10 always transmits signals indicating the on / off states of all the switches, the above processing is not performed. The control unit 22 drives the corresponding motor according to the on / off state of the switch specified by the finger braille signal. While the finger braille signal specifies the on state, the control unit 22 continues to drive the motor, and when the finger braille signal specifies the off state, the control unit 22 stops driving the motor.

[0028] In the conversation system of the first embodiment described above, particularly in the receiver side device 20, the vibration unit is configured to be wearable on a part of the receiver side user's body, thereby realizing high mobility and freedom in receiving finger braille while performing other actions. The buttons and input device 11 of the transmitter side device 10 may be buttons and switches attached to a part of the transmitter side user's body, such as the pad of a finger, as will be explained in a second embodiment below. By using such buttons and switches, it is possible to provide the transmitting user with high mobility and freedom, allowing them to transmit finger braille while performing other actions.

[0029] Furthermore, the input device 11 of this embodiment is equipped with six buttons corresponding to the six fingers used in actual finger braille. Therefore, it is possible to individually input operation signals corresponding to the operation of one finger in finger braille. Then, finger braille based on the operation signals is faithfully reproduced by the corresponding transmission unit in the receiver side device 20. Therefore, the transmitter user can input finger braille with the same sensation as when actually touching the other person's body to input finger braille.

[0030] The conversation system of the first embodiment can achieve high mobility and freedom in finger Braille, but the conversations that take place there are as follows: One user makes a unilateral statement using their own conversation device, while the other user listens to the statement using their own conversation device. The listening user can start speaking after the speaking user has finished speaking. This is a very one-way conversation and is different from normal conversation. In the second embodiment described below, a finger braille device will be described that allows two-way, real-time speech using finger braille, allowing users to enjoy more natural conversations with each other. Furthermore, the finger Braille signal may be transmitted as a character code between the transmitter device 10 and the receiver device 20. A predetermined delimiter is inserted between characters. In the transmitter device 10 that transmits, a controller 15 generates a character code corresponding to the character expressed by combining the operation signals from the six switches and transmits it as a finger braille signal. In the receiver device 20 that receives the finger braille signal containing the character code, a controller 21 determines the motors to operate in order to express the character corresponding to the character code and drives them. The controller 55 stores, for example, in a ROM, a table that associates combinations of character codes (UTF8) with characters. A character code corresponding to the character inputted in response to the operation of the input section of the transmitter side device 10 is transmitted, and the motor of the receiver side device 20 is operated, thereby enabling communication using finger braille.

[0031] [Second Example] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a chat system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The system 2 according to the second embodiment has a configuration for two-way communication of finger braille between users. The conversation system of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 includes a bidirectional finger Braille device (hereinafter simply referred to as bidirectional device) 50A used by one user, and a bidirectional device 50B used by another user. The bidirectional device 50A and the bidirectional device 50B have the same configuration, and each includes an input unit 51 for the user to input finger braille, and a transmission unit 52 that transmits finger braille received from another bidirectional device to the user by vibration.

[0032] The bidirectional device 50 will now be described in detail. Input unit 51 includes input units 51a to 51c for the left hand and input units 51d to 51f for the right hand, and transmission unit 52 includes transmission units 52a to 52c for the left hand and transmission units 52d to 52f for the right hand. Each input unit 51 includes a button (operation means) operated by a user, and a switch that is turned on / off in response to button operation and outputs an operation signal when turned on. Each transmission unit 52 also includes a vibrating element that comes into contact with the user's body and transmits finger braille to the user by vibration, and a motor that vibrates the vibrating element. As described above, finger braille is generally performed by combining instructions using a total of six fingers: the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the left hand, and the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the right hand. Input units 51a-51c for the left hand and input units 51d-51f for the right hand correspond to one of the fingers and are worn on the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the user's left hand and the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the user's right hand, respectively. Finger Braille is input by operating each button included in the input units. As an example, input unit 51a corresponds to the ring finger of the left hand, input unit 51b corresponds to the middle finger of the left hand, and input unit 51c corresponds to the index finger of the left hand. Furthermore, input unit 51d corresponds to the index finger of the right hand, input unit 51e corresponds to the middle finger of the right hand, and input unit 51f corresponds to the ring finger of the right hand. Furthermore, transmission units 52a to 52c for the left hand and transmission units 52d to 52f for the right hand also correspond to one of these fingers and are worn on the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the user's left hand and the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of the user's right hand, respectively. For example, transmission unit 52a corresponds to the ring finger of the left hand, transmission unit 52b corresponds to the middle finger of the left hand, transmission unit 52c corresponds to the index finger of the left hand, transmission unit 52d corresponds to the index finger of the right hand, transmission unit 52e corresponds to the middle finger of the right hand, and transmission unit 52f corresponds to the ring finger of the right hand. The vibrating element vibrates based on a finger braille signal input from another bidirectional device, thereby transmitting finger braille to the user.

[0033] The interactive device 50 also includes a controller 55 that controls the interactive device 50 to realize conversation using finger Braille. The controller 55 generates finger braille signals based on operation signals generated by operations on the input units 51d to 51f for the right hand and the input units 51a to 51c for the left hand, and transmits the generated finger braille signals to other bidirectional devices via wire or wirelessly. Furthermore, the controller 55 receives finger Braille signals output from other bidirectional devices 50, and performs control to output drive signals based on the received finger Braille signals to the transmission units 52a to 52c for the left hand and the transmission units 52d to 52f for the right hand. The transmission parts 52a to 52f vibrate based on a drive signal from the controller 55. Finger Braille is input in real time in each bidirectional device, and a finger Braille signal based on the input is input to the other bidirectional device, and the vibrating arm vibrates based on the drive signal. This allows users of the two-way device 50 to converse in real time using finger braille and communicate with each other.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the electrical configuration of a chat system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The two-way device 50 includes six buttons 60a to 60f shown in FIG. 4, and six switches 61a to 61f that are provided corresponding to these six buttons and detect button depression operations. The button 60a and the switch 61a constitute the input section 51a, the button 60b and the switch 61b constitute the input section 51b, the button 60c and the switch 61c constitute the input section 51c, the button 60d and the switch 61d constitute the input section 51d, the button 60e and the switch 61e constitute the input section 51e, and the button 60f and the switch 61f constitute the input section 51f.

[0035] The two-way device 50 also includes six vibrating arms 62a to 62f shown in FIG. 4, and six motors 63a to 62f that vibrate these six vibrating parts. Vibrating arm 62a and motor 63a constitute transmission unit 52a, vibrating arm 62b and motor 63b constitute transmission unit 52b, vibrating arm 62c and motor 63c constitute transmission unit 52c, vibrating arm 62d and motor 63d constitute transmission unit 52d, vibrating arm 62e and motor 63e constitute transmission unit 52e, and vibrating arm 62f and motor 63f constitute transmission unit 52f.

[0036] The two-way device 50 further includes a control unit 56 and a wireless communication unit 57 . The control unit 56 includes a CPU that executes programs, a ROM that stores programs and fixed data, and a RAM that serves as a work memory into which programs and data are expanded for execution by the CPU. The control unit 56 performs processing to generate finger Braille signals based on operation signals from the switches 61a to 61f by causing the CPU to execute a predetermined program. The wireless communication unit 57 superimposes the finger Braille signal generated and output by the control unit 56 onto a wireless signal based on a predetermined protocol, and controls output from an antenna (not shown). The control unit 56 and the wireless communication unit 57 are components that are included in the controller 55 explained in FIG. When connected wirelessly, wireless communication between the controllers 55, that is, between the two-way devices 50, is realized by Bluetooth (registered trademark). As is well known, Bluetooth (registered trademark) is a protocol that allows communication only between coupled devices. Therefore, even if multiple two-way devices 50 are used in a small space, there is no risk of finger braille signals being input from devices other than the intended conversation partner, which would interfere with the conversation.

[0037] As an example, the finger Braille signal is a signal that instructs the driving of one or more transmission parts in the bidirectional device 50 based on one or more operation signals generated by operating one or more buttons simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. Upon receiving the finger braille signal, the bidirectional device 50 activates a designated transmission unit for a predetermined time to transmit the finger braille. The controller 55 of the bidirectional device 50 stores the received Finger Braille signals in a received signal list set in the RAM of the control unit. Then, drive signals based on the Finger Braille signals are output in the order stored in the received signal list. In this way, Finger Braille can be faithfully reproduced without any change in the order of Finger Braille. Whether a series of operations on multiple buttons is considered to be "simultaneous" operations to represent one character to be included in one finger Braille signal can be determined, for example, based on whether the interval between inputs of operation signals corresponding to button operations is within a predetermined time. Furthermore, even when one character is represented by multiple finger contacts (multiple button operations and multiple operation signals), one finger Braille signal may be sent for each operation signal.

[0038] Furthermore, the finger Braille signal may be one that specifies the on / off state of all the switches in the interactive device 50, rather than being generated and output for each input related to one character or one dot. The interactive device 50 always transmits such finger Braille signals to other interactive devices 50. The bidirectional device 50 that has received the finger braille signal transmits the finger braille by activating the corresponding transmission unit in accordance with the on / off state of the switch specified by the finger braille signal.

[0039] As will be described below, the finger Braille signal may be transmitted and received as a character code between the two-way devices 50. A predetermined delimiter is inserted between characters. In the bidirectional device 50 that performs the transmission, the controller 55 generates a character code corresponding to a character expressed by combining operation signals from the six input units 51a to 51f and transmits it as a finger braille signal. In the bidirectional device 50 that receives the finger braille signal including the character code, the controller 55 determines the transmission units 52a to 52f to be operated to express the character corresponding to the character code, and drives them. The controller 55 stores, for example, in a ROM, a table that associates combinations of character codes (UTF8) with characters. Character codes corresponding to characters entered in response to operation of input units 51a to 51f in one of the two-way devices 50 are transmitted, and communication units 52a to 52f in the other (other) two-way device 50 are activated, thereby enabling conversation using finger braille.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the processing of the conversation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, where (a) shows the flow of processing by the control unit of the bidirectional device when a signal is input, and (b) shows the flow of bidirectional Braille processing by the control unit of the bidirectional device. In (a), the control unit 56 determines in step S51 whether or not a signal has been input. If it is determined that a signal has been input (Yes in step S51), the control unit 56 determines in step S52 whether the input signal is a finger braille signal received from another device (the other party's bidirectional device). If it is determined that a finger braille signal has been input from another device (Yes in step S52), the control unit 56 adds the content indicated by the finger braille signal to the end of the received signal list set in the RAM in step S54. If it is determined that a finger braille signal has not been input from another device (No in step S51), the control unit 56 determines in step S53 whether the input signal is an operation signal from a switch of the device itself. If it is determined that an operation signal has been input (Yes in step S53), the control unit 56 adds the content indicated by the operation signal to the end of the received signal list in step S54.

[0041] A received signal list is generated by the process shown in (a). The received signal list is a list of operation signals relating to button operations on the bidirectional device and finger Braille signals from the other party's bidirectional device, listed in the order of input to the control unit 56. By performing corresponding control in the order shown in the received signal list, it is possible to transmit and receive Finger Braille in real time and in both directions, just like a real conversation. In addition, the order of Finger Braille input on one bidirectional device can be accurately and faithfully reproduced on another bidirectional device, enabling smooth conversation.

[0042] In (b), in step S61, the control unit 56 determines whether the top of the received signal list is the content of a finger Braille signal received from another device. If it is determined that the top of the received signal list is the content of a finger Braille signal received from another device (Yes in step S61), the control unit 56 outputs a drive signal to the motor corresponding to the finger Braille signal to drive the motor in step S62. Then, in step S63, the control unit 56 deletes the content of the processed received signal (here, the finger Braille signal) from the received signal list. In step S61, if it is determined that the top of the received signal list is not the content of a finger Braille signal received from another device (No in step S61), the control unit 56 determines in step S65 whether the top of the received signal list is the content of a switch operation signal input on the device itself.

[0043] If it is determined that the top of the received signal list is the content of the switch operation signal input on the device itself (Yes in step S65), the control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal corresponding to the operation signal in step S66. After the process of step S66, the control unit 56 deletes the content of the processed received signal (here, the operation signal) from the received signal list in step S63. Then, in step S64, the control unit 56 determines whether or not all the contents of the received signal list have been processed. If it is determined that all the contents have been processed (Yes in step S64), the control unit 56 ends the process. If it is determined that there is unprocessed content in the received signal list (No in step S64), the control unit 56 returns the process to step S61.

[0044] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a received signal list and the processing corresponding to its contents, where (a) shows an example of a received signal list, and (b) shows an example of processing corresponding to the received signal list. For example, in the received signal list of (a), a finger braille signal received from another device is stored in input order 1 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that a switch 61a has been turned on in the other device. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 63a corresponding to the switch 61a specified by the finger braille signal. A finger braille signal received from another device is stored in input order 2 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61f has been turned on in the other device. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a drive signal to drive the motor 63f corresponding to the switch 61f specified by the finger braille signal.

[0045] An operation signal from the device itself is stored in input order 3 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61b has been turned on in the device itself. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal that designates the same switch 61b as the operation signal. An operation signal from the device itself is stored in input order 4 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61b has been turned on in the device itself. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal that specifies the same switch 61b as that specified by the operation signal. An operation signal from the device itself is stored in input order 5 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61d has been turned on in the device itself. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal that specifies the same switch 61d as the operation signal.

[0046] A finger braille signal received from another device is stored in input sequence 6 to control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61b has been turned on in the other device. In response to this, control unit 56 outputs a drive signal to drive motor 63b corresponding to switch 61b specified by the finger braille signal. A finger braille signal received from another device is stored in input sequence 7 for the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61c has been turned on in the other device. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a drive signal to drive motor 63c corresponding to switch 61c specified by the finger braille signal.

[0047] An operation signal from the device itself is stored in input sequence 8 to control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61b has been turned on in the device itself. In response to this, control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal that specifies the same switch 61b as that specified by the operation signal. An operation signal from the device itself is stored in input order 9 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that switch 61b has been turned on in the device itself. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a finger Braille signal that specifies the same switch 61b as that specified by the operation signal. The finger braille signal of the device itself is stored in input order 10 to the control unit 56. This signal indicates that the switch 61d of the device itself has been turned on. In response to this, the control unit 56 outputs a finger braille signal that specifies the same switch 61d as the operation signal.

[0048] Of the finger braille signals included in the received signal list in FIG. 7(a), only those for which one switch (a character using one dot) is specified are displayed. However, as described above, there are cases where a single finger Braille signal specifies the ON operation of multiple switches by satisfying a predetermined time condition for multiple switches. In such cases, the control unit 56 outputs drive signals for driving multiple motors corresponding to the multiple switches specified by the finger Braille signal.

[0049] The explanations in Figures 6 and 7 are for the case where one bidirectional device 50 generates and outputs a finger Braille signal for each input related to one character or one dot, and another bidirectional device 50 receives it (such finger Braille signals are transmitted to each other between the bidirectional devices 50). If signals indicating the on / off states of all switches are constantly transmitted between the bidirectional devices 50, the above-described processing is not performed. The control unit 56 drives the corresponding motor in accordance with the on / off state of the switch specified in the finger Braille signal received from the other bidirectional device 50. While the finger Braille signal specifies the on state, the control unit 56 continues to drive the motor, and when the finger Braille signal specifies the off state, the control unit 56 stops driving the motor.

[0050] When character codes are used for finger braille signals as described above, the same processing as in FIGS. 6 and 7 is basically possible. However, after an operation signal for one switch of the own device is added to the received signal list (step S54), the operation signal is not transmitted one by one as a finger Braille signal. Character codes corresponding to characters expressed by operation signals (separated from other operation signals by delimiters) generated by operating multiple switches at the top of the received signal list are generated as finger Braille signals (step S66) and transmitted. On the other hand, the finger braille signal received from the other device is added to the received signal list as it is (step S54). Then, one or more drive signals for expressing a character corresponding to the character code as the finger braille signal are output (step S62).

[0051] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first example of mounting and operating the bidirectional device 50 of this embodiment. The figure shows a case where the vibration unit and button of the two-way device 50 are worn on the finger. As shown in (a), the user wears the vibration unit on the back of their index finger, middle finger, and ring finger. As shown in Fig. 8(b), the input unit is worn on the pads of the fingers. There are various ways to wear the vibration unit and input unit. As shown in Fig. 8, a finger cot-like base equipped with input unit 51 and transmission unit 52 may be worn on the fingers, or input unit 51 and transmission unit 52 may be worn on the finger portions of a glove-like cover that covers the entire hand. The transmission unit 52 attached to the back of the finger vibrates, allowing the user to tactilely receive the finger braille transmitted by the other party. On the other hand, by bending the finger on which the switch is attached as shown in Figure 8(b) and pressing it with the palm of the hand, the user can turn the switch on and off and input their own finger braille. Finger Braille can be transmitted by simply opening and closing the finger provided with the input unit 51 and the transmission unit 52, and Finger Braille can be received by feeling vibrations on the finger. This allows users to comfortably communicate using finger braille even while exercising, such as running, or walking.

[0052] In addition, in the bidirectional device 50 shown in FIG. 8, instead of bending the fingers to input data into the input unit 51, the user can also input data into the input unit 51 by pressing the pads of the fingers onto a desk, for example, as if playing a piano. By wearing the input unit 51 on the pad of the finger, conversation can be carried out comfortably using finger braille while seated. Furthermore, the bidirectional device 50 of this embodiment is equipped with six buttons corresponding to the six fingers used in actual finger braille. Therefore, operation signals corresponding to the operation of one finger in finger braille can be input individually. Then, finger braille based on the operation signals is faithfully reproduced by the corresponding transmission unit in the other party's bidirectional device 50. Therefore, the transmitting user can input finger braille with the same feeling as actually touching the other party's body to input finger braille.

[0053] A first mounting mode of the vibration unit and input unit will be illustrated with reference to FIG. In a finger cot-shaped base member 100 that can be worn on a finger, an input unit 51 (at least a button 60) is provided on the inner circumferential surface on the pad side of the finger. Furthermore, the base member 100 is provided with a transmission part 52 on the outer peripheral surface on the back side of the finger. If necessary, an outer member 101 for fixing the transmission unit 52 is provided on the back side of the base member 100. The transmission unit 52 is sandwiched between the base member 100 and the outer member 101, and is thereby suitably fixed. With this configuration, finger braille of this embodiment can be easily implemented by attaching the finger cot-shaped base member to the fingers. The mounting manner of the vibration unit and input unit can also be applied to the first embodiment. In the transmitter side device 10, a base member 100 provided with at least a button and a switch (at least a switch) can be used as the input device 11. In addition, in the receiver side device 20, a base member 100 provided with only the transmission unit 25 can be used. Furthermore, in the above explanation, six transmission units are provided in the receiving device, the bidirectional device 50, to transmit finger braille, but this is not limited to this, and two transmission units, one for the left and one for the right, may be provided to transmit to the user the direction of travel when walking or running, or signs to slow down or stop. Furthermore, the location of the transmitting unit in the receiving device 20 and the bidirectional device 50 is not limited to the fingers. It can be applied without any problem to any location where six-point finger braille can be recognized, such as the ear, neck, or back. In this case, the transmission unit may be attached to clothing, provided with a suction pad or the like, or attached to a headphone-like base.

[0054] As described above, the interactive device 50 of this embodiment is wearable and mobile. By using the two-way device 50 of this embodiment, two-way communication can be realized in which a person can speak in real time while "listening" to what the other person is saying, while exercising, such as running, or performing other actions. Even if a person is visually or hearing impaired, by using the system of this embodiment, he or she can engage in exercise and various activities while communicating with others.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second example of mounting and operating the bidirectional device 50 of this embodiment. The figure shows a case where the vibration unit and button of the two-way device 50 are attached to the fingertip. The configuration in FIG. 9 is based on the configuration in FIG. 8, and only shows the arrangement of the input unit 51 and the transmission unit 52 attached to the fingertip. As shown in Fig. 9(a), the user wears the vibration unit on the back of their index finger, middle finger, and ring finger, and the input unit on the tip of their finger. There are various ways to wear the vibration unit and input unit. As shown in Fig. 9, a finger cot-like base having an input unit 51 and a transmission unit 52 may be worn on the finger. The transmission unit 52 attached to the back of the finger vibrates, allowing the user to tactilely receive the finger braille transmitted by the other party. 9(a), buttons 60a to 60f constituting the input unit 51 are configured to protrude from the fingertips. By pressing the user's fingertip against an object or a wall surface, the user can turn the switch on / off and input finger braille.

[0056] A second mounting mode of the vibration unit and input unit will be illustrated using FIG. 9(a). An outer member 111 that covers the back of the finger to the tip of the finger is provided on a finger sack-shaped base member 110 that can be worn on a finger. An input unit 51 (at least button 60) is provided on the outer member 111 on the tip side of the fingertip. A transmission unit 52 is provided on the inner surface of the base member 110 on the back side of the finger. Alternatively, the transmission unit 52 is built into the outer member 111 on the back side of the finger. With this configuration, the finger braille of this embodiment can be easily implemented.

[0057] In the bidirectional device 50 shown in Figure 9, the input unit 51 is provided at the tip of the finger, leaving the pad of the finger free, so that finger braille, which is normally done with the pad of the finger, can be done while wearing the bidirectional device 50 as needed. As shown in Fig. 9(b), Finger Braille can be transmitted by pressing the input unit 51 (at least the button 60) provided on the fingertip against any object (such as a desk surface, wall surface, or floor surface), and Finger Braille can be received by feeling the vibration of the finger caused by the transmission unit 52. Finger Braille can be input and received simultaneously. The interactive device 50 shown in Fig. 8 is also fully wearable and mobile. However, in the example of Fig. 9, the pads of the fingers are free, so while wearing the interactive device 50, actions such as typing on a PC (Personal Computer) keyboard, operating various buttons, or opening and closing the cap of a drink are not impeded, as shown in Fig. 9(c). Communication using Finger Braille can be carried out more naturally in everyday life using the interactive device 50.

[0058] In the above description, the configuration has been described in which the two-way devices 50 transmit and receive finger braille signals by performing wireless communication between each other. However, the bidirectional device 50 of this embodiment can communicate with an external communication terminal (such as a smartphone or PC) by Bluetooth (registered trademark) via the wireless communication unit 57 to transmit and receive finger braille signals. In this case, it is preferable that the finger braille signals are transmitted and received as character code (UTF8). The two-way device 50 can change the connection destination from another two-way device 50 to an external communication terminal by changing the connection mode. The two-way device 50 further has a switch in the controller 55 for allowing the user to set the connection mode. A case will be described in which a connection mode with an external device is set by a switch operation by the user, and connection (pairing) with an external communication terminal is established. When an external communication terminal transmits text data expressed in character code to the bidirectional device 50 and the bidirectional device 50 receives it, the controller 55 determines and drives the transmission units 52a to 52f to operate based on the characters corresponding to the character code (UTF8).

[0059] The controller 55 stores, for example, in a ROM, a code table that associates characters with the character codes (UTF8) that correspond to the characters. A smartphone can collect audio from people, radio, television, etc., and convert this audio into text using the smartphone's voice recognition function, which can then be converted into character code and sent to the interactive device 50. The interactive device 50 transmits characters corresponding to the received character code to the user as finger braille, allowing the user to enjoy receiving the audio as finger braille as is.

[0060] Conversely, when the bidirectional device 50 transmits finger braille, the controller 55 generates a character code (UTF8) corresponding to the character expressed by a combination of operation signals from the six input units 51a to 51f and transmits it as a finger braille signal. In this case, the above code table can be used. The smartphone can output as voice or display as text the characters identified by the character code transmitted from the interactive device 50. By inputting finger braille, the user of the interactive device 50 can communicate more smoothly with people who are not visually or hearing impaired.

[0061] The motor 63 provided in the transmission unit 52 of the two-way device 50 can be controlled to change the torque, rotation speed, etc. By utilizing analog changes in the vibration mode of the motor, it is possible to give the user wearing the two-way device 50 a "sense of presence" and realize "emotional effects." For example, the switch of the input unit 51 provided in the bidirectional device 50 may be a piezoelectric sensor that can output an operation signal containing operation characteristic information that converts the strength of the pressing operation on the button into a voltage value, rather than simply detecting the ON / OFF of the button operation, and detect the length of the pressing operation. The controller 55 of one of the two-way devices 50 detects "operation characteristic information" for each button, which is included in the input operation signal and includes the strength and length of the pressing operation, and transmits the operation characteristic information to the other two-way device 50 by incorporating it into the finger Braille signal. When the finger braille signal is transmitted as a character code, the finger braille signal can include operation characteristic information for each button when the finger braille corresponding to the characters is performed in order. The other bidirectional device 50 that receives the finger braille signal can include control information for changing the torque, rotation speed, etc. of the motor in the drive signal given to the transmission unit 52 based on the operation characteristic information contained in the received finger braille signal. In this way, users can not only simply receive the content of the Finger Braille, but also experience the other person's personality and state, such as the strength and length of the Finger Braille, thereby achieving communication with a sense of realism.

[0062] Furthermore, since it is possible to control the torque and rotation speed of the motor 63, the interactive device 50 of this embodiment can be used for purposes other than finger Braille. In the applications described below, the interactive device 50 of this embodiment is extremely useful as a vibration-type tactile presentation interface in complementing information channels not only for the deaf-blind, but also for the visually impaired, the deaf, and able-bodied. As described above, the two-way device 50 of this embodiment can also be connected to an external communication terminal (such as a smartphone or PC). The external communication terminal may be a game console. The finger braille signal transmitted by the external communication terminal may be one that transmits the character's lines or scenario in finger braille, but it does not necessarily transmit text in finger braille; it can transmit any information by vibration to the user's fingers or part of the body. For example, as feedback on the content of a game or user operation, the finger braille signal sent from the external communication terminal to the interactive device 50 includes information indicating the characteristics of vibration to be given to the user. The controller 55 of the interactive device 50 receives the finger braille signal and includes control information for changing the torque, rotation speed, etc. of the motor in the drive signal sent to the transmission unit 52. The user can receive various emotional stimuli not limited to finger braille.

[0063] The bidirectional device 50 described above has an input unit 51 and a transmission unit 52 on the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of both hands, but may further have at least an input unit 51 on one or more of the remaining thumbs and little fingers of both hands. The input units 51 additionally provided on the thumb and little finger can be used as space keys or function keys when the bidirectional device 50 is connected to a PC and finger braille is transmitted. It is possible to input symbols, spaces, special symbols, katakana, etc. into a PC that cannot be expressed using only the index, middle, and ring fingers of both hands and are not defined in general finger braille. Furthermore, by providing an additional transmission unit 52 on the thumb or little finger, emotions and information that are not defined in general finger braille can be transmitted when transmitting and receiving finger braille between two-way devices 50. For example, various emotions such as impatience, confusion, and joy, which are often exchanged using emoticons, can also be transmitted.

[0064] The bidirectional device 50 described above may include an acceleration sensor as the input unit 51 instead of the button 60 and the switch 61. In order to detect the acceleration of the fingertip, it is desirable to provide the acceleration sensor near the tip of the finger, although not as close as the button 60 of the bidirectional device 50. The acceleration sensor generates an acceleration waveform (acceleration waveform data) when the user performs finger braille movements. The acceleration sensor is preferably a triaxial acceleration sensor that can detect acceleration in the three axial directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. As the acceleration sensor, a conventionally known device such as a capacitance-type MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) sensor can be applied, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The acceleration waveform output by the acceleration sensor is the magnitude of acceleration on any axis and its positive or negative value. The controller 55 can detect the fingers performing finger braille from the acceleration waveforms input from each input unit 51 (acceleration sensor), and generate a finger braille signal based on the detection. When the input unit 51 includes a button 60 and a switch 61, it is necessary to input finger braille by pressing the button 60 against a desk, the user's own palm, etc. However, when an acceleration sensor is used as the input unit 51, finger braille can be input anywhere without button operation, for example, by performing finger braille movements in the air. Even when an acceleration sensor is used as the input unit 51, finger braille can be input by pressing the fingers against a desk, the other person's body, or even the user's own palm, etc.

[0065] To avoid false detection, the controller 55 detects that finger braille input has been performed only when the values ​​(absolute values) of the acceleration waveforms for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis exceed predetermined thresholds. When performing finger braille in the air, it is conceivable that the user will perform finger braille with their hands facing in various directions. When the acceleration waveform with the largest value (absolute value) among the acceleration waveforms for the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis exceeds a threshold, the controller 55 determines that finger braille input has been performed using that finger. In addition, the acceleration waveform input (input of finger braille) from the acceleration sensor used to detect finger braille is not accepted until acceleration in the opposite direction (i.e., the return of the finger in finger braille) is detected from the acceleration sensor used to detect finger braille (forward direction of the X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis). This makes it possible to detect finger braille in the same way as the on / off operation of the button 60 and switch 61. Forward acceleration corresponds to the on operation of the switch 61, and reverse acceleration corresponds to the off operation of the switch 61. This makes it possible to generate finger braille signals using the same processing as the above-mentioned bidirectional device 50 equipped with the button 60 and switch 61. It is also possible to prevent erroneous detection. When specifying the posture (hand orientation) for the user to perform finger braille, the acceleration sensor may be a two-axis acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration in two axes, the X axis and the Y axis, or a one-axis acceleration sensor capable of detecting acceleration only in the X axis direction.

[0066] [Third Example] Another embodiment will be described, in which a bidirectional device 50 equipped with an acceleration sensor as an input section is used. In this embodiment, the bidirectional device 50 in the [second embodiment] enables conversation using both "finger spelling" and "finger braille" with a finger spelling device 200 capable of inputting finger spelling. That is, the conversation system 2 includes an interactive device 50 and a fingerspelling device 200 which is a modification of the interactive device 50 . By using the conversation system of the third embodiment, for example, a deaf person can use the fingerspelling device 200 to convey words to a deaf-blind person using the bidirectional device 50, thereby achieving communication.

[0067] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating finger alphabets. As shown in Figure 10, finger spelling is a visual language in which hand shapes, which are created by combining the way the fingers are bent and the orientation of the hand, correspond to letters. Finger spelling can replace or complement sign language, and is used by people who are visually intact but have hearing impairments (deaf people) to communicate information (conversation). The fingerspelling device 200 is a partially modified version of the bidirectional device 50, and may include only an acceleration sensor as the input unit 51, without the transmission unit 52. However, unlike finger braille, fingerspelling is performed using all the fingers (thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger) of at least one hand. Therefore, the fingerspelling device 200 has a total of five acceleration sensors, one for each of these fingers. It is desirable to use a three-axis acceleration sensor as the acceleration sensor in order to detect complex finger movements. In order to detect the acceleration of the fingertip, it is desirable to provide the acceleration sensor near the tip of the finger, although not as close as the button 60 of the interactive device 50 .

[0068] When a user wearing the finger alphabet device 200 performs the finger alphabet shown in Figure 10, the finger alphabet device 200 detects the presence or absence of movement of each finger, the direction of the movement, and the finger alphabet based on a combination of these from the acceleration waveforms of the acceleration sensors attached to the five fingers. The finger alphabet device 200 generates a character code (UTF8) corresponding to the character represented by the detected finger alphabet and transmits this as a finger braille signal to the interactive device 50. This allows the user of the interactive device 50 to receive information from the user of the finger alphabet device 200. Furthermore, by providing the finger alphabet device 200 with a motor as a transmission unit 52 and wearing the above-described bidirectional device 50 on the hand that is not wearing the finger alphabet device 200, the user of the finger alphabet device 200 can receive finger braille from the user of the bidirectional device 100. In this case, the controller 55 of the finger character generator 200 determines the transmission units 52 to be operated to express the character corresponding to the character code based on the received finger Braille signal, and drives them.

[0069] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the finger alphabet device. 11 includes an input unit 51, which is an acceleration sensor attached to each of five fingers, and a controller 55. The controller 55 includes a control unit 56 and a wireless communication unit 57. The controller 55 of the finger alphabet device 200 detects which finger alphabet the user is performing from the movement of each finger detected from the acceleration waveforms detected by the five input units 51, and generates a finger braille signal to be sent to the interactive device 100. An example of a method for recognizing fingerspelling using the controller 55 will be described. The acceleration sensor can detect the direction and magnitude of finger movement. The controller 55 can detect which fingerspelling is being performed based on the direction and magnitude of the movement of each finger from its initial state. Here, the initial state is the fingerspelling for "hand" (te), in which all fingers are extended and the palm is facing the other person, and the fingerspelling is detected based on the movement of each finger from the initial state. Therefore, the user of the fingerspelling device 200 of this embodiment places the initial fingerspelling of "te" between the fingerspelling he or she wishes to input. In the initial state when showing the fingerspelling "te" to another person, the up and down direction is the Z axis, the horizontal direction is the X axis, and the depth direction is the Y axis. In particular, the downward direction toward the other person is the -Z component acceleration, the upward direction is the +Z component acceleration, the right direction toward the other person is the +X component acceleration, the left direction is the -X component acceleration, the forward direction toward the other person is the +Y component acceleration, and the depth direction toward the other person is the -Y component acceleration. However, it is also possible to set the right direction toward the other person as the -X component acceleration, the left direction as the +X component acceleration, the forward direction toward the other person is the -Y component acceleration, and the depth direction toward the other person as the +Y component acceleration.

[0070] 12 to 16 are diagrams for explaining how the fingerspelling device of this embodiment detects fingerspelling based on a signal input from an acceleration sensor. However, the method described below is an example and is not limited to this. 12 to 16 show the movements of the fingers from the initial state of the finger spelling "te" to the finger spellings "a" to "n." The controller 55 stores in the ROM the patterns of finger movements from the initial finger spelling of "te" to the finger spellings of "a" to "n."

[0071] The controller 55 can detect which fingerspelling has been performed by comparing the finger movement detected from the acceleration signal input from the acceleration sensor with the finger movement pattern. The symbols shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 indicate patterns to which the finger alphabet corresponds. In the pattern, "↓" indicates the downward movement of each finger as seen from the user of the fingerspelling device 200. "↑" indicates the movement of each finger in an upward direction as seen by the user of the fingerspelling device 200. "→" indicates the movement of each finger in the right direction as seen from the user of the fingerspelling device 200. "←" indicates the movement of each finger to the left as seen by the user of the fingerspelling device 200. The "·" indicates the movement of each finger on the front side in the depth direction as seen from the user of the fingerspelling device 200. "-" indicates that there was no movement of each finger.

[0072] Since the movements of the fingers that perform the fingerspelling are not simply up, down, left, and right, the signals input from the acceleration sensor are a mixture of X, Y, and Z components. Taking all the components into consideration not only makes the processing complicated, but also hinders accurate detection of the fingerspelling. Therefore, the controller 55 of the fingerspelling device 200 considers the component with the largest value (absolute value) among the X, Y, and Z components input from the acceleration sensor of each finger as the movement of the finger. Furthermore, when performing the fingerspelling by moving only a specific finger from the initial state of the fingerspelling for "hand," for example, it is difficult to keep the other fingers still. By setting a threshold value for the magnitude of the signal input from the acceleration sensor and ignoring signals that do not exceed the threshold value, the controller 55 can prevent erroneous detection of the fingerspelling. The absence of movement indicated by "-" above means that none of the X, Y, and Z components met the threshold value. In addition to the above "te," the initial state may also be the fingerspelling "sa" where all fingers are clenched, or the fingerspelling "ho" where all fingers are spread open and the back of the hand is shown to the other person.

[0073] However, as is well known, fingerspellings are originally used by visually recognizing the shape of the hand. There is no initial state between fingerspellings. For all combinations of fingerspellings, finger movement patterns that occur between fingerspellings are defined, and by comparing the acceleration sensor input with the pattern, fingerspellings can be detected without an initial state. However, since there are a huge number of patterns and detecting similar finger movements can lead to many false positives, it is more reasonable to set some kind of initial state and detect fingerspellings from the finger movements from the initial state.

[0074] When detecting a finger spelling based on the movement of the finger from the initial state, it is necessary to detect the return from the finger spelling state to the initial state. For example, when the user makes a movement opposite to the pattern of the finger characters shown in FIGS. 12 to 16 (the movement of returning from the performed finger characters to the initial state of "て"), and this is detected, it is possible to determine the return to the initial state. If this operation is difficult for the user, after setting the initial state as the "て" finger character, the user makes an operation such as shaking the entire hand up and down or left and right, and by detecting this, the controller 55 can determine the return to the initial state.

[0075] In addition, when the "て" finger character included in the finger characters is set as the initial state, when actually wanting to make the "て" finger character, there is a problem that it is impossible to distinguish from the initial state. It is desirable to set the hand shape not included in the finger characters as the initial state. When the "て" finger character is set as the initial state, after the "て" in the initial state, the user makes an operation such as shaking the entire hand up and down or left and right (a different number of times from the above return to the initial state), and by detecting this, even if the controller 55 detects the "て" finger character, it may be acceptable.

[0076] Hereinafter, a method for detecting finger characters using an acceleration sensor will be specifically described. As described above, the "て" finger character with all fingers extended and the palm facing the other person is set as the initial state. The movements in the vertical and horizontal directions are movements from this initial position. What is described below is merely an example, and the method for detecting finger characters performed by the finger character device 200 of the present embodiment is not limited thereto. As described above, the movements of the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger are detected by the controller 55 according to the signals input from the acceleration sensor. First, a method for detecting finger characters performed while showing the palm to the other person from the initial state of "て" will be described. As shown in FIG. 12(1), when there is no movement of the thumb and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger make a downward movement, the controller 55 detects the "あ" finger character. As shown in FIG. 12(2), when the thumb makes a rightward movement, the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger make a downward movement, and there is no movement of the little finger, the controller 55 detects the "い" finger character. As shown in FIG. 12(3), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger and middle finger do not move, and the ring finger and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "u." As shown in FIG. 12(4), when the thumb moves rightward from the initial state and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "e." As shown in FIG. 12(6), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger and middle finger do not move, and the ring finger and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ka." Since "u" and "ka" are the same combination of finger movements, for example, if the movement of the thumb to the right is greater than the threshold, the controller 55 can determine it as "a," and if it is less than the threshold, the controller 55 can determine it as "ka." As shown in FIG. 12(7), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger does not move, the middle finger and ring finger move downward, and the little finger does not move, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ki." As shown in FIG. 12(9), when the thumb moves leftward and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger do not move, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ke."

[0077] As shown in FIG. 13(1), when the thumb moves upward and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "sa." As shown in FIG. 13(4), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger moves downward, the middle finger remains stationary, and the ring finger and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "se." As shown in FIG. 13(7), when the thumb is stationary, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger move to the left, and the little finger moves to the right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "chi." As shown in FIG. 13(8), when the thumb remains stationary and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move to the left, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "tsu."

[0078] As shown in FIG. 14(6), when the thumb moves rightward, then rightward and then downward, the index finger and middle finger move downward, and the ring finger and little finger move downward and then leftward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ha." As shown in FIG. 14(7), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger remains stationary, and the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "hi."

[0079] As shown in FIG. 15(1), when the thumb moves downward and then upward, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger move downward, and the ring finger moves downward and then upward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ma." As shown in FIG. 15(6), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger move downward, and the ring finger moves to the left, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ya."

[0080] As shown in FIG. 16(1), when the thumb moves leftward and then rightward, the index finger and middle finger move leftward, and the ring finger and little finger move downward and then leftward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ra." As shown in FIG. 16(2), when the thumb moves leftward and then rightward, the index finger moves leftward, the middle finger moves leftward, the ring finger moves downward and then leftward, and the little finger moves downward and then leftward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ri." As shown in FIG. 16(3), when the thumb moves leftward, the index finger and middle finger do not move, and the ring finger and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ru." As shown in FIG. 16(4), when the thumb moves leftward, the index finger remains stationary, and the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "re." As shown in FIG. 16(5), when the thumb moves upward and the index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ro." As shown in FIG. 16(6), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger do not move, and the little finger moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "wa."

[0081] Next, a method for detecting fingerspelling by folding the whole hand downward from the "TE" position will be described. As shown in FIG. 13(3), when the thumb, index finger, and middle finger move downward, and then the ring finger and little finger move downward and then upward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "su." As shown in FIG. 13(5), when the thumb of "te" moves downward, the index finger moves downward and then moves to the right, and the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward and then move upward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling of "so."

[0082] As shown in FIG. 14(1), when the thumb moves to the right and then downward, the index finger moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, and the ring finger and little finger move downward and then upward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "na." As shown in FIG. 14(4), when the thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and little finger all move downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ne." As shown in FIG. 14(8), when the thumb and index finger move downward, and the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger move downward and then upward, the controller 55 detects "fu." As shown in FIG. 14(9), when the thumb moves downward, the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger move downward and then upward, and the little finger moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "へ".

[0083] Next, a method for detecting fingerspelling will be described, in which the entire hand is bent from the "te" position to the left and right, showing the back of the hand to the other person. When the thumb and index finger move to the right, the ring finger and little finger move to the left, and the middle finger is still stationary, it is assumed that the hand is rotating around the middle finger.Then, fingerspelling is performed by moving each finger up, down, left, and right. As shown in FIG. 12(8), when the thumb moves right and then moves left, the index finger moves right and then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves left and then moves downward, and the little finger moves left and then moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ku". As shown in FIG. 13(2), when the thumb moves to the right and then to the left, the index finger moves to the right and then downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left and then downward and then to the right, and the little finger moves to the left and then downward and then to the right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "shi." As shown in FIG. 13(9), when the thumb moves to the right and then to the left, the index finger moves to the right, the middle finger does not move, the ring finger moves to the left and then to the downward direction, and the little finger moves to the left and then to the downward direction, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "to."

[0084] As shown in FIG. 14(2), when the thumb moves to the right, then to the left, and then to the downward direction, the index finger moves to the right, then to the downward direction, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left, then to the downward direction, and then to the right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling of "ni." As shown in FIG. 14(10), when the thumb moves to the right and then moves downward, the index finger moves to the right, the middle finger does not move, the ring finger moves to the left, and the little finger moves to the left, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ho." As shown in Figure 15 (2), when the thumb moves to the right, moves to the right and then moves downward, the index finger moves to the right and then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left and then moves downward, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward and then moves right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling of "mi".

[0085] As shown in Figure 15 (3), when the thumb moves to the right, then moves to the right and then moves downward, the index finger moves to the right, then moves downward and then moves right, the middle finger moves to the left and then moves right, the ring finger moves to the left, then moves downward and then moves right, and the little finger moves to the left, then moves downward and then moves right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "mu". As shown in FIG. 15(7), when the thumb moves to the right and then moves downward, the index finger moves to the right, the middle finger does not move, the ring finger moves to the left, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "yu." As shown in Figure 15(8), the fingerspelling "yo" is detected when the thumb moves to the right, then to the left, and then downward, the index finger moves to the right and then downward, the middle finger moves to the left, the ring finger moves to the left and then downward, and the little finger moves to the left and then downward.

[0086] Next, we will explain how to detect fingerspelling by folding the whole hand in half from the "hand" position to the left and right, showing the side of the hand to the other person. The value in the left and right directions is smaller than when showing the back of the hand to the other person. As shown in FIG. 12(5), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger moves to the right and then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left and then moves downward, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling of "o." As shown in FIG. 12(10), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger moves to the right and then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left and then moves downward, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ko." Since "o" and "ko" are the same combination of finger movements, for example, if the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger (or at least one finger) are all larger than the threshold, it can be determined to be "ko," and if they are smaller than the threshold, it can be determined to be "o."

[0087] As shown in Figure 13 (6), when the thumb moves to the right and then moves upward, the index finger moves to the right and then moves downward and then further toward the hand, the middle finger moves downward and then moves forward and then further toward the hand, the ring finger moves to the left and then moves downward and then further toward the hand, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward and then further toward the hand, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "ta". As shown in FIG. 14(3), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger moves to the right, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves to the left and then moves downward, and the little finger moves to the left and then moves downward, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "nu." As shown in FIG. 14(5), when the thumb moves to the right, then moves to the left, and then moves downward, the index finger moves to the right, then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, then moves right, the ring finger moves to the left, then moves downward, and then moves right, and the little finger moves to the left, then moves downward, and then moves right, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling of “no.” As shown in FIG. 15(4), when the thumb moves to the right, the index finger moves downward and then moves to the right, the middle finger does not move, the ring finger moves to the left, and the little finger moves to the left, the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "me." As shown in FIG. 15(5), the controller 55 detects the fingerspelling "mo" when the thumb moves leftward and then moves downward, the index finger moves leftward and then moves downward, the middle finger moves downward, the ring finger moves leftward and then moves downward, and the little finger moves leftward and then moves downward. Since "mo" is a combination of finger movements that is the same as "o" and "ko," it can be determined to be "mo" if, for example, the movements of all of the fingers (or at least one of the fingers) - the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger - are greater than those of "o" and "ko."

[0088] By performing the above steps, the fingerspelling device 100 (controller 55) of this embodiment can recognize characters expressed in fingerspelling. As explained above, when detecting finger alphabets using an acceleration sensor, it is possible that the same combination of movements of the same finger will be repeated. Therefore, the finger alphabet device 100 (controller 55) of this embodiment detects finger alphabets by taking into consideration not only the direction of the finger movement but also the magnitude of the finger movement represented by the acceleration, thereby making it possible to detect many finger alphabets. As with the bidirectional device 50 of the second embodiment, the finger character character device 200 may generate a character code (UTF8) corresponding to the recognized character, send it to the PC, and display the corresponding character. As with the interactive device 50 of the second embodiment, the finger spelling device 200 may generate a character code (UTF8) corresponding to the recognized character and transmit it to the interactive device 50 to perform the corresponding finger braille. The finger spelling device 200 generates character codes (UTF8) corresponding to the recognized characters and transmits them to the bidirectional device 50, so that the bidirectional device 50 can perform finger braille in the same way as in the second embodiment. That is, in the finger alphabet device 200 that performs transmission, the controller 55 generates a character code corresponding to the character associated with the pattern and transmits it as a finger braille signal. In the bidirectional device 50 that receives the finger braille signal including the character code, the controller 55 determines the transmission units 52a to 52f to be operated to express the character corresponding to the character code, and drives these. The controller 55 of the finger alphabet device 200 stores, for example, in a ROM, a table that associates combinations of character codes (UTF8) with characters.

[0089] [Other Examples] The above has described the finger spelling device 200 and the bidirectional device 50 for transmitting Japanese characters. However, by storing in the ROM a table that associates patterns for representing finger spellings in English and other languages ​​with character codes, the finger spelling device 200 and the bidirectional device 50 can support finger spellings and finger braille for transmitting characters used in these countries. When supporting multiple languages, the finger spelling device 200 and the interactive device 50 may have a switch for switching language modes on the board of the controller 55, which may be operated via a knob provided on the housing. The controller 55 functions in a language mode according to the operating state of the switch, and generates finger spelling signals (character codes) using a table corresponding to the language mode. When having a conversation, the finger spelling device 200 and the interactive device 50 must match their language modes.

[0090] Alternatively, a dictionary that associates words as combinations of character codes (UTF8) with finger braille (finger spelling) patterns for various countries, including Japan, may be stored in ROM. The bidirectional device 50 or finger spelling device 200 on the sending side transmits a finger braille signal consisting of character codes (UTF8) to the finger spelling device 200 on the receiving side in response to a user's input. The finger spelling device 200 that receives the finger braille signal searches the dictionary stored in ROM for a word corresponding to the language mode, and performs finger braille to realize the searched word. In this way, communication using finger braille or finger spelling can be realized regardless of language or country.

[0091] As described above, the fingerspelling device 200 can be realized as a modified version of the bidirectional device 50 that includes five acceleration sensors as an input unit. The bidirectional device 50 is switchable between an input mode for inputting finger braille and an input mode for inputting fingerspelling. The bidirectional device 50 may include a switch for switching the operation mode on the circuit board of the controller 55, and may be operable via a knob provided on the housing. The controller 55 can function in an operation mode according to the operation state of the switch. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 1, 2...system, 10...transmitter side device, 11...input device, 12a to 12f...buttons, 13a to 13f...switches, 15...controller, 16...controller, 17...wireless communication unit, 20...receiver side device, 21...controller, 22...controller, 23...wireless communication unit, 25...transmission unit, 26a to 26f...vibration arm, 27a to 27f...motor, 30...cover, 50A...two-way device, 50B...two-way device, 51a to 51f...input unit, 52a to 53f...transmission unit, 55...controller, 56...controller, 57...wireless communication unit, 60a to 60f...buttons, 61a to 61f...switches, 62a to 62f...vibration arm, 63a to 64f...motor

Claims

1. A conversation device for transmitting text information to another device and having a conversation, a plurality of operation means for a user to perform operation input relating to character information; a signal generating means for generating a character signal instructing the operation of at least one communication means in another conversation device based on an operation input by the operation means; a transmitting means for transmitting the character signal generated by the signal generating means to the other device.

2. 2. The conversation device according to claim 1, the signal generating means is capable of generating a character signal including character code information based on an operation input by the operating means; the transmitting means is capable of transmitting a character signal including the character code information to an external device. A conversation device characterized by:

3. 3. The conversation device according to claim 1, the signal generating means is capable of generating a character signal of a special character including a space or a function using an operation input from any of the plurality of operation means; A conversation device characterized by:

4. 3. The conversation device according to claim 1 or 2, the character information is finger alphabet, and the operation means is an acceleration sensor provided on the user's finger; the signal generating means generates character signals based on acceleration signals detected by each operation means in accordance with the movement of the fingers of the user performing finger braille; A conversation device characterized by:

5. 5. The conversation device according to claim 4, the other conversation device is a finger braille device, The finger Braille device A plurality of transmission means provided so as to be wearable on the body of a user; a receiving means for receiving the character signal transmitted by the signal generating means of the conversation device; and a transmission control means for transmitting finger braille to a user by operating a transmission means in response to the character signal received by the receiving means. A conversation device characterized by:

6. A conversation system including a finger spelling device and a finger Braille device, The finger spelling device a plurality of operation means for a user to perform operation input relating to character information; a signal generating means for generating a character signal instructing the operation of at least one transmission means in the finger Braille device based on an operation input by the operation means; a transmitting means for transmitting the character signal generated by the signal generating means to the finger Braille device, the character information is finger alphabet, and the operation means is an acceleration sensor provided on the user's finger; the signal generating means generates character signals based on acceleration signals detected by each operation means in accordance with the movement of the fingers of a user performing finger braille; The finger Braille device A plurality of transmission means provided so as to be wearable on the body of a user; a receiving means for receiving the character signal transmitted by the signal generating means of the finger character character device; and a transmission control means for transmitting finger braille to a user by operating a transmission means in response to the character signal received by the receiving means. A conversation system characterized by:

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