Multifunctional And Low Cost Braille Display

Braille Display is a device which helps the visually impaired to read a text file in Braille format and as well receive an audio output of the text file. It gives an option to the user whether to receive output in terms of braille or audio. Braille is a tactile writing language of raised dots using which blinds and visually impaired people read and write through touch. The pattern of raised dots can be read with the fingers by blinds. The number and arrangement of these dots forms alphabets, numbers and special characters. The braille output in Braille display is observed in Braille text popper device which is made up of a plate having holes. Solenoids are placed under each hole to raise or lower the braille pin which will emerge through perforations on the top plate to form a Braille dot. The perforations serve as guides for the pins and form six dots which is equivalent to one Braille cell. Raspberry Pi Microcontroller is used to convert the text file into Braille format and thus controls the corresponding solenoid present below each of the holes to either pop up or down the hole by sending signal values to solenoids. Thus the solenoids align themselves based on the input character from the text file . The blinds can feel the sense of touch of the Braille pins that are popped up and they recognize the character accordingly. This way, blinds can recognize character by character. At every iteration, three characters from text file comes out in braille in Braille text popper device. The next button would display next three characters and previous button would display previous three characters. If the user prefers to hear audio, then it would give audio output of the text file through ear phones. Thus, the device facilitates the user either to read the text in braille or to hear the text as audio making it multifunctional.