Support system for handwriting characters and drawing figures for the blind using feedback of sound imaging signals

近年来，由于交通事故和白内障、糖尿病性视网膜病变等疾病导致的先天性失明人数增加。老年先进性盲人学习盲文是困难的。然而，他们仍然需要阅读印刷文字，写字和画画。视力正常的人在写字、画画时，无意识地使用了视觉系统的反馈。如果他失去了这种反馈，他就不能把字写在纸上正确的位置。因此，视力障碍者可以利用帮助他们正确书写的信息反馈来书写字母。这些信息可以通过听觉传递给个体。在这项研究中，我们提出了一种新的听觉显示系统，利用声成像信号的反馈来帮助盲人手写文字和绘制图形。我们研究了通过听觉传递图像信息的方法，作为视障人士的感官辅助。这种方法利用声音侧化的控制，在双耳耳机感知的听觉空间中可以表达简单的模式。这些图案是由与图像元素相对应的点声图像组成的。实验结果表明，该系统能有效地帮助外来性盲人书写和绘制简单的图案。然而，在现有的系统中，字符的大小是有限的，不能使用小字号。手写字符由手写字符识别单元评估，并且这些字符可以通过语音合成器转换为语音。盲人将能够通过支持系统学习汉字的名字和书写顺序。在未来，有必要提高听觉屏幕的分辨率。

Recently, the number of adventitious blind was increased by traffic accidents and diseases, namely cataract and diabetic retinopathy. It is difficult for the old aged adventitious blind to learn Braille. However, they still need to read the printed word, to write and to draw pictures.When the sighted person writes characters and draws pictures, he unconsciously uses the feedback of the visual system. If he loses this feedback, he cannot write characters in the correct position on the paper. Accordingly the visually handicapped may be able to write letters using the feedback of information which helps them to write correctly. This information could be transmitted to the individual by auditory sense.In this research, we propose a new auditory display system which aids the blind person to handwrite characters and to draw figures using the feedback of sound imaging signals. We have studied the method of transmitting pictorial information through auditory sensation as a sensory aid for the visually handicapped. This method utilizes the control of sound lateralization and simple patterns can be expressed in the auditory space perceived with binaural headphones.These patterns are composed of point sound images which correspond to the picture elements. Possibility of handwriting characters and drawing simple patterns was examined, and our experimental results have shown, this system could be helpful when the adventitious blind write and draw. However the size of character is limited in the present system, small sizes cannot be used. Handwritten characters are evaluated by the handwritten character recognition unit, and these characters may be able to convert into speech by the voice synthesizer. The blind will be able to learn the character forenes and writing order by the support system. In the future, it will be necessary to improve the resolution of the auditory screen.