Embosser Using Polymer Roller for Production of Improved Braille and Tactile Graphics with Color Ink Print-Administrative supplement

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案的具体目标是开发和实施一种新型的盲文和触觉图形制作技术，该技术使用一种系统，其中金属冲头销发射到光滑的聚合物涂层的轴上，而不是像大多数当前的压花技术那样发射到机械加工的金属模具中。该项目的成功完成将产生一种新的盲文和触觉图形压花机，它利用基于聚合物辊的压花系统，在A3/小报尺寸的切纸上打印全彩色油墨。这种新的压纹机将允许在页面上的任何位置进行压花，允许符合特定国家标准的盲文和更平滑、更连续的图形一起在同一页上使用全彩色打印创建。如果在第一阶段研究结束前还不能完成，新压纹机的开发将从聚合物辊设计的最终确定开始，并选择大小和形状以产生最高质量网点的金属冲压销。接下来将开发压花机硬件和电子设备，随后将开发必要的固件和驱动程序，以控制硬件在所需位置沿着聚合物辊的光滑表面压印图形和盲文。开发完成后，盲文翻译和图形编辑软件将针对新的压花系统进行优化。新压花机的技术进步将改善和加快视障人士获取图形信息的速度，这将为那些在科学、数学和工程等技术领域学习或工作的人提供巨大的好处。采用聚合物滚筒压花系统的新压花机的制造成本也将比基于当前技术的类似型号低20%，从而使更好的压花机能够以更低的价格出售，允许更多的客户购买它们。这将使更多的视力障碍者更好地获得教育、职业和日常生活所需的触觉材料，这肯定有可能改善他们的心理健康和生活质量。盲人的心理健康和生活质量问题是国家眼科研究所的使命。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The specific aim of this proposal is to develop and implement a new type of technology for production of braille and tactile graphics that uses a system in which metal punch pins fire into a smooth polymer-coated shaft rather than into a machined metal die as with most current embossing technologies. The successful completion of this project will yield a new braille and tactile graphics embosser that utilizes a polymer roller based embossing system and prints full color ink on cut sheet paper up to A3/tabloid size. This new embosser will allow embossing anywhere on a page, permitting braille that meets specific national standards and smoother, more continuous graphics to be created together on the same page with full color print. The development of the new embosser will begin with finalization of the polymer roller design, if this is not accomplished prior to the end of the Phase I research, and selection of metal punch pins sized and shaped to produce the best quality dots. Next the embosser hardware and electronics will be developed, followed by the firmware and drivers necessary to control the hardware to emboss graphics and braille where desired along the smooth surface of the polymer roller. After this development is complete, braille translation and graphics editing software will be optimized for the new embossing system. The technical advancements implemented in the new embosser will improve and speed up access to graphical information by the visually impaired, providing a great benefit, especially to those studying or working in technical fields such as science, mathematics and engineering. The new embosser utilizing the polymer roller based embossing system will also be up to 20% cheaper to manufacture than a similar model based on the current technology, permitting better embossers to be sold at a lower price, allowing more customers to purchase them. This will lead to more people with visual impairments getting better access to tactile materials they need for education, in their professions and in their daily lives, which certainly has the potential to improve their mental health and quality of life. Mental health and quality of life issues for blind people are pat of the mission of the National Eye Institute.