Tactile feel device having a plurality of pins that allow a user to read information from the pins and make selection by depressing the pins
First Claim
1. An input/output tactile feel device, comprising:
- a plurality of pins each capable of outputting information from and inputting information to said tactile feel device;
means for positioning said pins to provide information to a user via tactile feel; and
means for sensing movement of said pins to determine if the user has depressed any of said plurality of pins.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A Braille device includes a plurality of Braille cells that comprise a plurality of pins that are actively positioned to present information to a user via tactile feel. The Braille device also allows the user to depress at one or more of the pins in order to make a selection analogous to point and click of a mouse. To allow the user to move a screen cursor and make selections via the Braille pins, the Braille cell includes pin position sensing circuitry that senses the position of each of the plurality of Braille pins. A system controller (e.g., a CPU) reads the information from the sensing circuitry to determine which pins, if any have been depressed. Advantageously, the Braille pins are used as an output device that allows a user to read information, and also as an input device by allowing the user to depress the Braille pins in order to make a selection. In addition, depositing the electronics onto the piezoelectric bimorph reduces the overall size of the Braille device.
33 Citations
8 Claims
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1. An input/output tactile feel device, comprising:
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a plurality of pins each capable of outputting information from and inputting information to said tactile feel device; means for positioning said pins to provide information to a user via tactile feel; and means for sensing movement of said pins to determine if the user has depressed any of said plurality of pins. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. An input/output tactile feel device, comprising:
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a plurality of pins capable of outputting information from and inputting information to said tactile feel device; pin actuator circuitry that positions said pins to provide information to a user via tactile feel; and a pin movement sensing circuit that senses movement of said pins to determine if the user has depressed any of said plurality of pins.
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8. An input/output tactile feel device, comprising:
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a plurality of pins capable of being driven between a first position and a second position for outputting information from and inputting information to said tactile feel device; pin actuator circuitry that positions in either said first position or said second position to provide information to a user via tactile feel; and a pin movement sensing circuit that senses if the user has depressed any of said plurality of pins.
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Specification