Braille data input method and device

Abstract

The present technical solution relates in general to data input devices, and more particularly to touch-sensitive devices for inputting data using Braille. The technical result achieved by implementation of the given solution consists in providing more accurate recognition of Braille character input. Claimed is a data input device comprising: a touch-sensitive surface configured to be capable of determining the position coordinates of user touch points; and a controller configured to be capable of: generating at least one line between all of the touch points, which connects said touch points; determining at least one angle of inclination of the at least one generated line relative to the position of at least one Braille reference line formed between all possible positions of points of the script on a coordinate axis of the touch-sensitive surface; comparing the at least one angle of inclination of the at least one line with a range of permissible deviation; recognizing, on the basis of the comparison results, the Braille character corresponding to the received user input; converting the Braille character into the corresponding alphanumeric character; and receiving the alphanumeric character as user input.

Description

METHOD AND DEVICE FOR ENTERING INFORMATION IN BRAILLE AREA OF TECHNOLOGY [1] This technical solution relates generally to information input devices, and in particular to touch-sensitive information input devices using Braille. LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY [2] Currently, most electronic devices that surround a person in everyday life are based on interaction using touch input. Thus, conventional electronic devices such as tablets, POS terminals, smartphones provide reliable and convenient touch input for users with normal vision. Thus, standard touch devices are based on the user's ability to see text and other icons present on the screen of such devices, such as a keyboard, etc., due to the smooth form factor of touch screens and the absence and / or low degree of tactile responses of such devices. Accordingly, such devices are of little use, and sometimes are not intended for visually impaired or blind users. Users belonging to such categories interact with the outside world through a relief-dot tactile font intended for writing and reading by blind and visually impaired people (Braille). [3] To solve this problem, some electronic device manufacturers have provided the ability to interact with the device by duplicating the finger touch on the keyboard using voice to support input. However, it is still difficult for a visually impaired user to determine the exact location of the desired character. In addition, there are also voice input capabilities in electronic devices. However, voice input is inconvenient for the user, increases the input time, and is completely inapplicable to confidential information such as a PIN code due to its disclosure to others and the associated subsequent risks. [4] The prior art discloses a solution disclosed in US Patent No. US 9684448 B2 (DAGAR SUMIT [IN]), published on 20.06.2017, which describes a touch screen with the ability to input information in Braille. Thus, the said solution discloses the possibility of dividing the touch screen into areas corresponding to the location of braille characters and the detection of touches in areas to recognize a braille character. [5] The disadvantages of such a device include low accuracy of Braille input recognition, due to the need for the user to maintain the spatial arrangement of fingers on the device screen, which, due to limited physical capabilities, is a difficult task. In addition, if the input falls on the border of areas, the input may be recognized incorrectly. [6] Common shortcomings of existing solutions in this area include the lack of devices with the ability to accurately and effectively input information in Braille on touch devices. In addition, such devices must ensure the confidentiality of information input. Also, such devices must provide the ability to input a symbol in Braille without being tied to the spatial position of the input on the touch screen. ESSENCE OF THE TECHNICAL SOLUTION [7] This technical solution is aimed at eliminating the shortcomings inherent in existing solutions known from the state of the art. [8] The declared technical solution allows solving the problem of creating a new and effective sensory device for inputting information in Braille. [9] The main technical result is to increase the accuracy of recognition of Braille character input.

[0010] Another technical result is to provide the ability to recognize input by a Braille symbol without being tied to an input area.

[0011] The claimed technical results are achieved by implementing a method for inputting information using Braille font, comprising the steps of: a) receiving, using an information input device comprising a touch surface, touches of the touch surface by the user; b) determining the coordinates of the location of the touch points on the touch surface; c) processing the obtained coordinates of the points, wherein the processing includes: i. forming at least one line between all touch points, connecting the specified touch points; ii. determining at least one angle of inclination of at least one generated line relative to the position of at least one reference line of the Braille font, formed between all possible positions of the font points, on the coordinate axis of the sensor surface; iii. comparing at least one angle of inclination of at least one line with a range of permissible deviation for said line; iv. recognizing a Braille symbol corresponding to the received user input, based on the comparison results obtained in step iii; d) converting the Braille symbol into a corresponding alphanumeric symbol; e) receiving, by the information input device, a user input corresponding to the alphanumeric symbol.

[0012] In another particular embodiment, the coordinate axis of the touch surface is a horizontal and vertical axis.

[0013] In another particular embodiment, touches on the touch surface are received within a specified time range.

[0014] In another particular embodiment, the specified time range is a time range during which touches are recognized as one Braille character.

[0015] In another particular embodiment, when the deviation of the line inclination angle relative to the coordinate axis exceeds the permissible deviation, an input error notification is generated.

[0016] In another particular embodiment, the input error notification is a tactile and / or audible notification.

[0017] In another particular embodiment, recognition of a Braille character is performed by determining the positions of dots on a touch surface.

[0018] In another particular embodiment, the position of the points on the sensor surface is determined by one of: • determining the positions of points relative to at least one formed line; • determining the positions of points relative to the coordinate axes of the sensor surface

[0019] In another particular embodiment, the range of permissible deviation does not exceed 15 degrees.

[0020] In another particular embodiment, user input corresponding to an alphanumeric character is accompanied by a notification.

[0021] In another particular embodiment, the notification is a tactile and / or audible notification.

[0022] In addition, the specified technical results are achieved by implementing an information input device containing: • a touch surface designed to determine the coordinates of the location of the user’s touch points; • a controller configured to: o generate at least one line between all touch points connecting said touch points; o determine at least one angle of inclination of at least one generated line relative to the position of at least one reference Braille line formed between all possible positions of the font points on the coordinate axis of the touch surface; o compare at least one angle of inclination of at least one line with a range of permissible deviation for said line; o recognize a Braille character corresponding to the received user input based on the comparison results obtained in step iii; o convert the Braille character into a corresponding alphanumeric character; o receive the alphanumeric character as user input DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0024] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the implementation of the claimed method.

[0025] Fig. 2 illustrates examples of Braille symbols.

[0026] Fig. 3 illustrates the order of priority of points.

[0027] Fig. 4 illustrates an example of defining a Braille character.

[0028] Fig. 5 illustrates an example of Braille character recognition.

[0029] Fig. 6 illustrates an example of the general appearance of a computing device that ensures the implementation of the claimed solution. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The claimed technical solution provides a new method of input and recognition of Braille characters on the touch screen of devices. Thus, due to the implementation of the said technical solution, it is possible to input Braille characters without reference to the spatial area of ​​the touch screen, which, accordingly, also increases the accuracy of input and recognition of the Braille character.

[0031] In particular, one embodiment of the present technical solution is aimed at solving problems in the area of ​​interaction between blind and / or visually impaired users with touch POS terminals in bank branches and trade and service networks, associated with the lack of ability for blind users to independently enter a PIN code, while maintaining the confidentiality of the entered information.

[0032] Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of a method 100 for inputting information using Braille, which is disclosed step by step in more detail below. Said method 100 consists of performing steps aimed at processing various digital data. The processing is typically performed using a device such as device 200, which may be, for example, an ATM, a POS terminal, a coupon dispenser, a mobile device, etc. The elements of the claimed device are disclosed in more detail in Fig. 6.

[0033] As mentioned above, visually impaired users are mostly familiar with the raised-dot tactile Braille script. For independent input Braille characters such as numbers, letters, the present technical solution proposes an approach based on the use of Braille by touching the touch screen of the device.

[0034] For a more precise understanding of the features of the claimed technical solution, Fig. 2 illustrates the designations of the numbers used in reading and inputting Braille. It is worth noting that, despite the fact that Fig. 2 illustrates an example of input only for digital symbols, the said solution can also be applied to any Braille symbol that is formed from a combination of six dots.

[0035] At step 110, touches of the touch surface by the user are received using an input device comprising a touch surface.

[0036] The touch screen input device may be an electronic device with a touch screen based on any of a variety of technologies that can provide a touch screen, including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible touch screen such as a flexible OLED display. Thus, the input device may be a touch POS terminal, a smartphone, a tablet, etc., but is not limited to.

[0037] Thus, in one particular embodiment, the information input device with a touch screen may include at least a touch input unit for touch input by a user; a display unit for displaying data; a controller that processes user input that is entered through the touch input unit and displays the result of the process on the display unit; and a memory for storing control data for controlling each component of the touch input unit, the display unit and the controller. Thus, in another particular embodiment, the touch input unit may include a proximity sensor for determining whether the user is approaching the device, a light sensor (not shown) for determining the amount of ambient light of the device, an accelerometer, etc. At least one sensor may detect a state, generate a signal corresponding to the detection, and transmit the signal to the controller.

[0038] The elements of the claimed device are fixed to each other and to the supporting elements of the structure using a wide range of assembly operations, such as screwing, joining, soldering, riveting, etc., depending on the most suitable method of fastening the elements.

[0039] In order to detect user touches, the touch input unit is configured to recognize user touches. Thus, when the touch input unit is in contact with components of the user's body, such as the user's fingers, etc., the contact is sensed, thereby determining the location of the user's touch. In one particular embodiment, the touch input unit is configured to recognize touches of input devices, such as a stylus.

[0040] The display unit is configured to display data according to control signals of the controller. In one particular embodiment, the touch input unit is superimposed on the display unit so that the location of the user's touch is recognized on the touch screen. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that any technology known from the prior art can be used to recognize user touches and / or touches by input devices of the touch screen.

[0041] The memory is configured to store information about the Braille font, recognized user inputs, a table of Braille symbol conversion to the alphabet, etc. Thus, the memory is configured to store instructions for the controller. The term "instructions" used in this application may generally refer to software instructions or software commands that are written in a given programming language to implement a specific function, such as, for example, encoding and decoding texts, filtering, ranking, translating texts into a dialog system, etc. The instructions can be implemented in a variety of ways, including, for example, object-oriented methods. For example, the instructions can be implemented by means of the Python programming language, C++, Java, Python, various libraries (for example, MFC; Microsoft Foundation Classes), etc.The instructions that perform the processes described in this solution can be transmitted via both wired and wireless data transmission channels, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, WLAN, LAN, etc.

[0042] Based on the control instructions stored in the memory, the controller can provide the electronic input function using the touch screen. The controller recognizes the Braille font entered by the user, converts the recognized character into an alphabetic character, and sends control signals to other units of the device.

[0043] Returning to step 110, at said step 110 the touch screen input device receives at least one touch of the touch surface.

[0044] As stated above, touch can be achieved by means of parts of the user's body, input devices such as a stylus, etc.

[0045] In one particular embodiment, the user input is determined within a specified time range (interval). Thus, after the first touch of the touch screen, subsequent touches of the touch screen with an interval of time shorter than the specified interval, for example, one second, 0.5 seconds, etc., may be related to one user input.

[0046] Thus, let us consider in more detail the indicated input possibility using the example of the number six in Fig. 2. Sequential input of the Braille symbol elements ensures universality of input. With relatively small sizes of the touch screen, the user may not have the technical ability to place his fingers in the correct position, which, accordingly, may lead to incorrect input of the symbol and subsequent incorrect recognition of such input.

[0047] In sequential input, on the contrary, the user sequentially touches the screen in accordance with the elements of the Braille symbol. Thus, for the number six, the user makes the first touch in any area of ​​the touch screen and, during a given time interval, makes subsequent touches, repeating the arrangement of the elements of the symbol six. That is, after the device controller has received the first touch, it continuously tracks subsequent touches during a given time interval, for example, 1 second.

[0048] If the next input arrives within the specified time interval, the controller restarts the specified timer. After the specified interval is exceeded, the controller stops detecting input for the character.

[0049] At step 120, the coordinates of the location of the touch points on the touch surface are determined.

[0050] At said step 120, the device controller processes the received touch points to obtain the coordinates of the said points on the touch surface.

[0051] Thus, the determination of the coordinates of a touch screen touch can occur by means of screen photocells that record this event, the screen controller is designed with the ability to determine which of them do not receive enough infrared light and, based on their position, calculates the screen area in which the touch occurred. Accordingly, based on the specified touch area, the controller compares, for example, based on the pixel grid, the touch with the screen coordinates.

[0052] It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that any technology known from the prior art for determining the coordinates of a user's touch can be used.

[0053] At step 130, the obtained coordinates of the points are processed, wherein the processing includes: forming at least one line between all touch points, connecting said touch points; determining at least one angle of inclination of at least one formed line relative to the position of at least one reference line of the Braille font, formed between all possible positions of the font points, on the coordinate axis of the touch surface; comparing at least one angle of inclination of at least one line with the range of permissible deviation for said line; recognizing a Braille font symbol corresponding to the received user input, based on the results of the comparison.

[0054] The specified step 130 can be performed by the controller of the input device with a touch screen. The coordinates of the touch points obtained in step 120, forming a Braille character, are processed by the controller to recognize the entered character.

[0055] As stated above, a Braille symbol may consist of several elements that form the said symbol (see Fig. 2, for example, the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.). The main problem when entering such symbol elements is the correct recognition of a specific Braille symbol due to their similarity. Thus, when entering the number five, there is a high probability that the user may shift the touch points and / or disrupt the spatial position of the symbol element on the touch screen, for example, by entering in one of the corners of the touch screen. Accordingly, with such input, devices known from the prior art will incorrectly identify the symbol. For example, when entering elements the number five in one area of ​​the device, for example, in the upper part of the device, while respecting the spatial position of the elements (the dots that make up the symbol), i.e. respecting the arrangement of the dots in accordance with the accepted Braille writing, solutions based on dividing the screen into areas, at best, recognize the input of the symbol three, due to the input being performed in the upper part of the touch screen, or simply recognize incorrect input.

[0056] In this solution, a new approach is proposed to solve the above problems, based on determining the permissible tilt angles between points.

[0057] Thus, for this purpose, at step 130, the controller processes the received touch points, which represent the desired Braille symbol, and forms at least one line between all touch points, connecting the specified touch points.

[0058] In one particular embodiment, using the software logic of the controller, the line is not displayed, but is stored in memory, for example, in the form of a description of coordinates, a function, etc. In another particular embodiment, the line can be formed in a separate image processed by the controller.

[0059] Further, the controller determines at least one angle of inclination of at least one formed line relative to the position of at least one reference line of the Braille font, formed between all possible positions of the font points, on the coordinate axis of the sensor surface.

[0060] Based on the formed line, the angle of inclination of the said line relative to the reference position of the lines connecting the points of the Braille symbol is determined. The reference position of the Braille lines is the position of at least one line connecting the points of the Braille symbol relative to the coordinate axis of the sensor surface. Thus, for the number 2, the reference line is the vertical line relative to the boundaries of the sensor surface. Accordingly, for the number four, the reference lines will be two lines formed between the points of the symbol based on sorting the points in accordance with the order of Braille writing. In more detail, the order of priority of the points is shown in Fig. 3. The priority of the points is necessary for recognizing the formed figures, that is, the figure starts from the upper left point (indicated by 1 in the figure), if it is absent, then from the lower left (in The figure shows 2). The priority of the dots is determined based on the general rules of writing in Braille. That is, for the number four there will be two reference lines, one of which is a diagonal line directed from the upper part of the sensory surface to the lower part and one horizontal line located above the diagonal line.

[0061] Thus, the reference position of the lines of the Braille symbol can be taken as the coordinate axis relative to which the angles of the entered symbol will be determined, i.e. the angles of the lines formed between the points of the Braille symbol entered by the user.

[0062] In another particular embodiment, the coordinate grid of the sensor surface can be used as the coordinate axis relative to which the angles are determined. In this case, the reference angles between the lines of symbol points can be stored in the memory of the information input devices.

[0063] Determining the angle of inclination of the formed line relative to the reference line can be done, for example, by calculating the sine or cosine of the angle, due to the known distances of the lines (their coordinates). In this case, as will be obvious, when determining angles, the distance between the symbols does not matter. That is, a figure is formed based on the user's clicks (in the form of two segments) in which the angle is determined.

[0064] In yet another particular embodiment, the following approach can be used. For some symbols consisting of at least three dots, for example, digits consisting of three dots: 0, 6, 4 and 8, etc., the recognition of the entered symbol can be carried out by the resulting figure of a triangle inscribed with a circle. If axes are drawn through the center of this circle, then the correspondence of the dots to a specific digit can be determined by the sectors divided by the axes in accordance with the priority of the dots. Thus, in Fig. 4 an example of the digit zero is disclosed.

[0065] Thus, to determine the position of points on the touch screen, and, accordingly, to recognize the input received, a circle is inscribed in a formed figure of at least three points (in our case, a triangle), and its center is determined. As is known, the center of the circle can be determined, for example, based on the intersection of the bisectors of the triangle. To determine the priority of the points, then, coordinate axes are laid through the center of the circle, relative to which the position of the entered points is determined. It is worth noting that this approach makes it possible to eliminate the need to maintain the spatial position of the points on the touch screen. screen, due to the definition of points relative to the inscribed circle, and not relative to, for example, the coordinate axes of the screen. For example, the user can correctly enter the points of a symbol, such as the number 0, but the said symbol may have a spatial distortion. Spatial distortion should be understood as the rotation of the figure formed by the entered points relative to the coordinate axis of the touch screen. Accordingly, the correct entry of the points of a symbol is the observance of the location of the points of the symbol relative to each other. For example, when entering the number 0, the user can enter the second and fourth priority points diagonally from each other, and enter the third priority point perpendicular to the fourth point. In this case, the formed figure, due to the displacement of the line between the second and fourth points, will be rotated relative to the coordinate axis of the screen.Accordingly, with the use of the specified approach, namely, determining the coordinate axis relative to which the priority of points is determined by means of an inscribed circle, the distorted input will also be recognized correctly. That is, the specified approach provides the ability to recognize braille characters on a touch screen without reference to the spatial position of the character. In addition, such an approach also additionally reduces the computational load on the processor, due to the reduction of the required parameters, and, as a consequence, a decrease in the number of memory accesses for interaction with such parameters. In addition, when using such an approach in POS terminals, the load on the processor is reduced many times due to handling encrypted data (all data is stored in encrypted form).

[0066] Accordingly, based on the determined priority of the points, the entered Braille symbol is then determined. That is, instead of determining the angles of inclination, an approach based on determining the priority of the points by means of an inscribed circle can be used.

[0067] After determining the priority of the points, in one particular embodiment, the angles of inclination of said points relative to the reference lines may also be determined.

[0068] Returning to the example of determining the slope angle, at least one slope angle of at least one line is then compared with the range of acceptable deviation for the specified line.

[0069] As indicated above, the reference lines of the Braille dots have corresponding angles relative to the coordinate axis of the touch screen, for example, 90° for the number two, etc. Accordingly, a certain angle for a line formed on the basis of the dots entered by the user will be compared with the reference angle for the specified line by the value of the permissible deviation range. In this case, the determination of the reference line with which the formed line must be compared can occur on the basis of the priority of the dots disclosed in Fig. 3.

[0070] Thus, in one particular embodiment, the permissible deviation range may be 15°, 18°, etc. It is worth noting that the permissible deviation range is determined in both directions relative to the reference line.

[0071] Next, the Braille symbol corresponding to the received user input is recognized based on the results of the tilt angle comparison.

[0072] Thus, if a certain angle does not exceed the angle deviation range, the controller is configured to assign the corresponding Braille symbol to the entered symbol points.

[0073] If the determined angle is greater than the specified tolerance, the controller will not accept the specified input. Thus, when the angle of the line relative to the coordinate axis deviates above the tolerance, in one particular embodiment, an input error notification is generated. The specified notification can be generated on the touch screen of the input device. In another particular embodiment, the input error notification can be a tactile and / or sound notification. Thus, in another particular embodiment, the input device can contain a vibration motor configured to generate a vibration response in response to a control signal of the controller. Accordingly, the input device can also contain speakers for implementing a sound notification.

[0074] Thus, at step 130, the Braille character is recognized by determining the angles of the lines between the input points of the Braille character. Thanks to this approach, the need for the user to enter characters in certain areas of the input device is eliminated. In addition, the approach based on determining the angles makes it possible to enter character points at any distance from each other, which accordingly eliminates the occurrence of situations of incorrect character recognition when entering dots at the junction of areas and increases the final accuracy of recognition of Braille characters.

[0075] At step 140, the Braille character is converted into a corresponding alphanumeric character.

[0076] Alphanumeric characters are characters that are a combination of letters and numbers. They allow information to be represented and transmitted not only in text form, but also in symbolic form. Accordingly, in this solution, an alphanumeric character is understood to mean any character that is a letter or a number in a certain language. That is, an alphanumeric character may be a Roman and / or Arabic numeral and / or an alphabetic character in a given language.

[0077] The conversion of a Braille character into a corresponding alphanumeric character may be performed, for example, by means of a mapping table stored in the device's memory.

[0078] At step 150, the input device receives user input corresponding to the alphanumeric character.

[0079] The symbol obtained in step 140 may then be received by the input device as an input symbol.

[0080] In one particular embodiment, the received user input corresponding to the alphanumeric character is accompanied by an alert. In another particular embodiment, the alert is a tactile and / or audible alert.

[0081] Now let's look at some examples of the declared technical solution.

[0082] Let us consider the example with the digital four, shown in Fig. 5.

[0083] The user enters at least one dot of the Braille character on the touchscreen input device. Thus, in one particular embodiment, the user enters the dots (elements) of the character for the number four. As indicated above, the input can be performed either sequentially or simultaneously (multi-touch pressing). Let us consider an embodiment of sequential input. The user, for the number four, enters three dots of the number four for the Braille font. Thus, the touch points, in accordance with the variants of the present technical solution, can be placed in any area of ​​the screen. That is, the user can first enter the lower dot, then the upper one, then the left one, or, upper left, lower right, upper left, etc. In this case, the input device, after entering the first point of the symbol, tracks the time interval for accepting subsequent symbols. If the next press is made in a longer time interval than the threshold interval value, then this press is considered as the beginning of entering the next digit.

[0084] Next, the input device determines the coordinates of the location of the touch points on the touch surface. As noted above, the coordinates of the touches can be determined by the pixel grid of the touch screen, etc.

[0085] The resulting touch values ​​are then transmitted to the controller to recognize the entered Braille character.

[0086] To do this, in the first step, the controller forms lines between the entered points. Thus, for the number four, two lines will be formed in accordance with the priority of the Braille writing points (horizontal and diagonal lines). Based on the formed lines, the angles of deviation of the entered points from the reference angles are determined. In one particular embodiment, the reference angles of the lines can be a coordinate grid of the touch screen.

[0087] Thus, for the horizontal line between points 1 and 3, the angle relative to the horizontal axis is determined. In another embodiment, the angle is determined relative to the reference line of the number four Braille characters. As indicated above, the angle can be determined, for example, by calculating the sine or cosine.

[0088] Next, the obtained angle value is compared with the permissible deviation of the point for the symbol, for example, 15°. If the obtained angle is less than the permissible deviation, then the controller recognizes the specified input point of the Braille symbol and proceeds to determine the angle between the line formed by points 1 and 4 (the diagonal line). Accordingly, after recognizing all input points, the obtained symbol is compared with a set of symbols, for example, stored in the device's memory, to determine the entered symbol. In our case, this is the number 4.

[0089] In another particular embodiment, an inscribed circle approach may be used. Based on a certain priority of the dots, the Braille symbol corresponding to the number 4 may also be recognized.

[0090] After a symbol in Braille has been identified, the said symbol is converted into the corresponding alphanumeric symbol. Obviously, the conversion can be done by means of a mapping table.

[0091] Next, the converted alphanumeric character is fed to the controller input as an input alphanumeric character. Also, in one particular embodiment, the accepted input may be accompanied by a notification of successful acceptance of the input.

[0092] Thus, the claimed technical solution provides a reliable and accurate method of entering information in Braille into an information input device with a touch screen. The said solution eliminates the need to divide the screen into areas and for the user to maintain distances between the entered symbol dots, thereby also increasing the universality of the input.

[0093] In addition, the stated features are also achieved by an information input device containing: • a touch surface designed to determine the coordinates of the location of the user’s touch points; • a controller configured to: o generate at least one line between all touch points connecting said touch points; o determine at least one angle of inclination of at least one generated line relative to the position of at least one reference Braille line formed between all possible positions of the font points on the coordinate axis of the touch surface; o compare at least one angle of inclination of at least one line with a range of permissible deviation for said line; o recognize a Braille character corresponding to the received user input based on the comparison results obtained in step iii; o convert the Braille character into a corresponding alphanumeric character; o receive the alphanumeric character as user input

[0094] As indicated above, the information input device may be a POS terminal with a touch screen, an ATM touch screen, etc. The elements of the claimed device are disclosed in more detail in Fig. 6.

[0095] In one particular embodiment, the input device may comprise a button for controlling the input modes of the device. Thus, when interacting with a blind or visually impaired user, the input device may be switched to the Braille character input mode to perform the stated steps for entering information in Braille on the touch screen. The input mode control button may be either a hardware button or a software button.

[0096] Fig. 6 shows an example of a general view of a computing device 200, which ensures the implementation of the claimed information input device, and can be, for example, a sensor unit, a controller, etc.

[0097] In general, the device 200 comprises components such as: one or more processors 201, at least one memory 202, data storage means 203, input / output interfaces 204, I / O means 205, network interaction means 206, which are connected via a universal bus.

[0098] The processor 201 performs the basic computing operations necessary for processing the data when performing the method 100. The processor 201 executes the necessary machine-readable instructions contained in the RAM 202.

[0099] Memory 202 is usually implemented as RAM and contains the necessary software logic to provide the required functionality.

[0100] Data storage means 203 can be implemented in the form of HDD, SSD disks, RAID array, flash memory, optical storage devices (CD, DVD, MD, Blue-Ray disks), etc. Means 203 allow long-term storage of various types of information, for example, tables of comparison of Braille fonts and alphanumeric characters, etc.

[0101] To organize the operation of components 200 and to organize the operation of external connected devices, various types of I / O interfaces 204 are used. The choice of the corresponding interfaces depends on the specific design of the computing device, which may be, but are not limited to: PCI, AGP, PS / 2, IrDa, FireWire, LPT, COM, SATA, IDE, Lightning, USB (2.0, 3.0, 3.1, micro, mini, type C), TRS / Audio jack (2.5, 3.5, 6.35), HDMI, DVI, VGA, Display Port, RJ45, RS232, etc.

[0102] The choice of interfaces 204 depends on the specific implementation of device 200, which can be implemented on the basis of a wide class of devices, for example, a personal computer, mainframe, laptop, server cluster, thin client, smartphone, server, etc.

[0103] The following may be used as I / O data means 205: keyboard, joystick, display (touch display), monitor, touch display, touchpad, mouse, light pen, stylus, touch panel, trackball, speakers, microphone, augmented reality means, optical sensors, tablet, light indicators, projector, camera, biometric identification means (retina scanner, fingerprint scanner, voice recognition module), etc.

[0104] Network interaction means 206 are selected from devices that provide network reception and transmission of data, for example, an Ethernet card, a WLAN / Wi-Fi module, a Bluetooth module, a BLE module, an NFC module, IrDa, an RFID module, a GSM modem, etc. With the help of means 305, data exchange is organized between, for example, a system 300, presented in the form of a server, and a user's computing device, on which the received data can be displayed via a wired or wireless data transmission channel, for example, a WAN, PAN, LAN, Intranet, Internet, WLAN, WMAN or GSM.

[0105] The specific selection of elements of the device 200 for implementing various components or devices may vary while maintaining the required functionality provided.

[0106] The submitted application materials disclose preferred examples of the implementation of the technical solution and should not be interpreted as limiting other, particular examples of its implementation that do not go beyond the scope of the requested legal protection, which are obvious to specialists in the relevant field of technology.

[0107] Modifications and improvements of the above-described embodiments of the present technical solution will be clear to specialists in this field of technology. The preceding description is presented only as an example and does not bear any restrictions for the purposes of implementing other particular embodiments of the claimed technical solution that do not go beyond the scope of the requested scope of legal protection.

Claims

FORMULA 1. A method for inputting information using Braille, comprising the steps of: a) receiving, using an input device comprising a touch surface, touches on the touch surface by a user; b) determining coordinates of the location of touch points on the touch surface; c) processing the received coordinates of the points, wherein the processing includes: i. forming at least one line between all touch points, connecting said touch points; ii. determining at least one angle of inclination of at least one formed line relative to the position of at least one reference line of the Braille font, formed between all possible positions of the font points, on the coordinate axis of the touch surface; iii. comparing at least one angle of inclination of at least one line with a range of permissible deviation for said line; iv.recognizing a Braille character corresponding to the received user input based on the comparison results obtained in step iii; d) converting the Braille character into a corresponding alphanumeric character; e) receiving, by the input device, the user input corresponding to the alphanumeric character.

2. The method according to item 1, characterized in that the coordinate axis of the sensor surface is a horizontal and vertical axis.

3. The method according to item 1, characterized in that touches of the touch surface are received during a specified time range.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the specified time range is a time range during which touches are recognized as one Braille symbol.

5. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that when the angle of inclination of the line relative to the coordinate axis deviates above the permissible deviation, an input error notification is generated.

6. The method according to paragraph 5, characterized in that the input error notification is a tactile and / or sound notification.

7. The method according to item 1, characterized in that the recognition of a Braille symbol is performed by determining the positions of points on the sensor surface.

8. The method according to item 7, characterized in that the position of the points on the sensor surface is determined by one of: • determining the positions of points relative to at least one formed line; • determining the positions of points relative to the coordinate axes of the sensor surface.

9. The method according to item 1, characterized in that the range of permissible deviation does not exceed 15 degrees.

10. The method according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the user input corresponding to the alphanumeric character is accompanied by a notification.

11. The method according to item 10, characterized in that the notification is a tactile and / or sound notification.

12. An information input device comprising: • a touch surface designed to determine the coordinates of the location of the user’s touch points; • a controller configured to: form at least one line between all touch points, connecting said touch points; determine at least one angle of inclination of at least one formed line relative to the position of at least one reference line of the Braille font, formed between all possible positions of the font points, on the coordinate axis of the touch surface; o comparing at least one inclination angle of at least one line with a range of permissible deviation for said line; o recognizing a Braille character corresponding to the received user input based on the comparison results obtained in step iii; o converting the Braille character into a corresponding alphanumeric character; o receiving the alphanumeric character as the user input.

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