Tactile display apparatus
First Claim
1. Tactile display apparatus comprising:
- a reference surface;
an electromagnet distant from said reference surface having first and second spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity;
rotatable cam means proximate to said electromagnet having an axis of rotation transverse to said reference surface and including an integral permanent magnet with third and fourth spaced poles of opposite polarity equidistant from said axis of rotation, said cam means being rotatable between an active position at which said third and fourth poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles, and an inactive position at which said fourth and third poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles; and
a touch pin having a longitudinal axis transverse to said reference surface and including a follower end engageable with said cam means and a tip end distant from said follower end, said pin being movable on said cam means between a first position raised above said reference surface when said cam means is in said active position and a second position not projecting beyond said reference surface when said cam means is in said inactive position.
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Abstract
Apparatus for providing a tactile display according to which a touch pin is selectively movable relative to a reference surface. An electromagnet distant from the reference surface has spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity. A cam rotatable about an axis transverse to the reference surface has an integral permanent magnet with similarly spaced poles of opposite polarity equidistant from the axis of rotation. The cam is rotatable between an active position at which its respective poles are attacted to and positioned adjacent the poles of the electromagnet and an inactive position at which the reversed poles of the permanent magnet are attracted to and positioned adjacent the opposite poles of the electromagnet. A touch pin has a longitudinal axis transverse to the reference surface and includes a follower end engageable with the cam and a tip end distant from the follower end. The pin is movable on the cam between a first position raised above the reference surface when the cam is in the active position and a second position not projecting beyond the reference surface when the cam is in the inactive position. A plurality of touch pins and associated mechanisms can be combined into a matrix to form a tactile display unit and a plurality of such units can be provided in a console and electrically driven in an intelligent fashion to provide the user with various forms of tactile information.
156 Citations
20 Claims
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1. Tactile display apparatus comprising:
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a reference surface; an electromagnet distant from said reference surface having first and second spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity; rotatable cam means proximate to said electromagnet having an axis of rotation transverse to said reference surface and including an integral permanent magnet with third and fourth spaced poles of opposite polarity equidistant from said axis of rotation, said cam means being rotatable between an active position at which said third and fourth poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles, and an inactive position at which said fourth and third poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles; and a touch pin having a longitudinal axis transverse to said reference surface and including a follower end engageable with said cam means and a tip end distant from said follower end, said pin being movable on said cam means between a first position raised above said reference surface when said cam means is in said active position and a second position not projecting beyond said reference surface when said cam means is in said inactive position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. Tactile display apparatus comprising:
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a housing having a cavity therein and defining a reference surface and having an aperture therein for communication between the cavity and said reference surface, the aperture being sized and positioned to freely receive a touch pin therethrough; an electromagnet fixed to said housing within the cavity distant from said reference surface, said electromagnet having first and second spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity; rotatable cam means proximate to said electromagnet having an axis of rotation transverse to said reference surface and including an integral permanent magnet with third and fourth spaced poles of opposite polarity equidistant from said axis of rotation, said cam means being rotatable between an active position at which said third and fourth poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles and an inactive position at which said fourth and third poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles; and said touch pin having a longitudinal axis transverse to said reference surface and including a follower end engageable with said cam means and a tip end distant from said follower end, said touch pin being movable on said cam means between a first position raised above said reference surface when said cam means is in said active position and a second position no higher than said reference surface when said cam means is in said inactive position. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. Tactile display apparatus comprising:
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a housing having a plurality of cavities therein and defining a reference surface and having a plurality of apertures therein for communication between each cavity and said reference surface; an electromagnet fixed to said housing within each of the cavities, each said electromagnet being spaced from said reference surface and having first and second spaced poles of opposite, selectively reversible, polarity; rotatable cam means proximate to each of said electromagnets, each of said cam means having an axis of rotation transverse to said reference surface and including an integral permanent magnet with third and fourth spaced poles of opposite polarity equidistant from said axis of rotation, each of said cam means being rotatable between an active position at which said third and fourth poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles and an inactive position at which said fourth and third poles, respectively, are attracted to and positioned adjacent said first and second poles; and a touch pin associated with each of said cam means and having a longitudinal axis transverse to said reference surface, each of said touch pins including a follower end engageable with said cam means and a tip end distant from said follower end, said touch pin being movable on said cam means between a first position raised above said reference surface when said cam means is in said active position and a second position no higher than said reference surface when said cam means is in said inactive position, the aperture being sized and positioned to freely receive said touch pin therethrough. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification