Binary information display apparatus

• US 5,766,014 A
• Filed: 04/17/1997
• Issued: 06/16/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Materials Corporation
• Inventors: Ida, Takashi, Takahashi, Minoru, Matsumoto, Jouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirsch, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US08/843,857
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 434/112, 434/113, 434/114
• US Class Current: 434/114
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/004 Details of particular tactile cells, e.g. electro-mechanical or mechanical layout
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/37 being movable elements G09F9/302 takes precedence

Abstract

A binary information display apparatus displays braille information with high accuracy by means of four braille pins, which are actuated by a stepping motor having a stepping angle of 45° and, hence, eight step positions. The apparatus includes four pins; a triplet cam which acts on ends of three pins out of the four pins so as to independently urge such three pins to selectively project from a display surface of a pin-supporting member and to selectively retract the same behind the display surface; a stepping motor for rotating the triplet cam about an axis thereof; and a fourth cam portion which actuates the remainder of the four pins. The motor can perform consecutive seven steps at 45° intervals, starting from a position where a rotation restricting projection on the fourth cam portion abuts a stopper step surface on the pin-supporting member, without causing rotation of the fourth cam portion. The state of the fourth pin is therefore not changed during such consecutive stepping of the stepping motor over seven steps. With the above-described structural arrangements and resulting operations thereof, it is possible to display eight types of braille information. Similarly, eight types of braille information can be displayed by reversing the motor. Consequently, sixteen types of braille information can be produced by the apparatus of this invention.

Claims

1. A binary information display apparatus, comprising:

an array of a plurality of pins which are arrayed at a constant pitch in parallel with one another;

a supporting member for supporting said pins such that said pins are independently and linearly movable along axes thereof;

a first rotary cam engaging with ends of the pins of a group exclusive of an end pin which is at an end of said array so as to axially urge said pins of said group such that said pins are independently actuated by said first rotary cam resulting in other ends of the independent pins of said group to selectively project from and retract behind a display surface of said supporting member;

a motor for supporting said first rotary cam and for rotating said first cam around an axis thereof;

a second rotary cam for actuating said end pin, said second rotary cam being rotatably mounted to oppose said first rotary cam;

a driving engaging portion provided on a side surface of said first rotary cam opposing said second rotary cam;

a driven engaging portion provided on one side surface of said second rotary cam so as to be engaged by said driving engaging portion in accordance with the rotation of said first rotary cam to thereby rotate said second rotary cam; and

a rotation restricting projection provided on the other side surface of said second rotary cam, said rotation restricting projection being engageable with a stopper portion of said supporting member so as to hold said second rotary cam at one of a first stop position and a second stop position,

wherein the cam contour of said second rotary cam is such that said end pin projects from said display surface when said second rotary cam has been rotated to one of said stop positions as a result of the rotation of the shaft of said motor in one direction, and that said end pin is retracted from said display surface when said second rotary cam has been rotated to the other stop position as a result of the rotation of the shaft of said motor in the other direction.

2. A binary information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of pins include four pins, and wherein said motor holds said first rotary cam at one of eight step positions which are arranged at 45°

intervals.

3. A binary information display apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said motor is a stepping motor.