Systems and methods for a dynamic braille display

• US 10,083,628 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: John Gilbert Yip
• Original Assignee: John Gilbert Yip
• Inventors: Yip, John Gilbert
• Primary Examiner(s): HULL, JAMES B
• Application Number:
  US14/590,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20150206453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,358 Days
• Field of Search: 434113
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/002 Writing aids for blind persons devices for Braille writing G09B21/02
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/004 Details of particular tactile cells, e.g. electro-mechanical or mechanical layout

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein describe systems and methods for a tactile braille display that reduces the number of actuators used to position movable pins. In embodiments, the actuators may be configured to move a plurality of movable pins at different times while also being configured to move independent movable pins.

Claims

1. A tactile braille display comprising:

a display substrate with a planar top surface;

a plurality of movable pins configured to be positioned within the display substrate, and the plurality of movable pins being configured to move between a first position and a second position, each of the plurality of movable pins including a first end, a shaft, and a second end,

the first end being configured to provide a raised dot of a braille character when the movable pin is in the second position, wherein in the second position the first end is positioned above the planar top surface,

the shaft being configured to secure the movable pin within the display substrate and move in a helical path within the display substrate,

the second end including a cam, wherein the plurality of movable pins includes a first movable pin;

a write head configured to interface with the plurality of movable pins, the write head including a first actuator and a second actuator, the first actuator being configured to be in an extended positioned to engage with the cam of the first movable pin when the first movable pin is in the first position, and the second actuator being configured to in the extended position to engage with the cam of the first movable pin when the first movable pin is in the second position, wherein the write head is configured to move in a direction that is parallel to the planar top surface of the display substrate.

2. The tactile braille display of claim 1, wherein in the first position the first end is positioned coplanar with the planar top surface of the display substrate.

3. The tactile braille display of claim 1, wherein the first actuator is configured to rotate the cam of the first movable pin in a first direction to move the first movable pin from the first position to the second position.

4. The tactile braille display of claim 3, wherein the second actuator is configured to rotate the cam of the first movable pin in a second direction to move the first movable pin from the second position to the first position.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first actuator is a retractable actuator configured to be extended or retracted to move the movable pin, and the second actuator is secured in a fixed position on the write head.

6. The tactile braille display of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of movable pins are configured to represent a single braille character, wherein each of the plurality of movable pins is configured to independently move between the first position and the second position.

7. The tactile braille display of claim 6, comprising:

a plurality of braille modules, wherein the plurality of movable pins within a first of the plurality of braille modules are configured to be moved independently of the plurality of movable pins within a second of the plurality of braille modules.

8. The tactile braille display of claim 7, wherein the write head is configured to interface with the plurality of movable pins within the first braille module before interfacing with the plurality of movable pins within the second braille module.

9. A method utilizing a tactile braille display comprising:

embedding a plurality of movable pins within a display substrate, the display substrate including a planar top surface, the plurality of movable pins including a first movable pin;

moving the plurality of movable pins between a first position and a second position within the display substrate via a write head, the display substrate having a planar top surface;

interfacing a first actuator positioned within the write head with a cam positioned on a second end of the first movable pin when the first movable pin is in the first position, wherein the write head is configured to move in a direction that is within a plane parallel to the planar top surface of the display substrate;

interfacing a second actuator positioned within a write head with the cam positioned on the second end of the first movable pin when the first movable pin is in the second position.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in the first position the first end is positioned coplanar with the planar top surface of the display substrate.

11. The method of claim 9, comprising:

rotating, via the first actuator, the cam of the first movable pin in a first direction to move the first movable pin from the first position to the second position.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

rotating, via the second actuator, the cam of the first movable pin in a second direction to move the first movable pin from the second position to the first position.

13. The method of claim 9, comprising:

retracting or extending the first actuator;

fixing the second actuator in the raised position.

14. The method of claim 9, comprising:

representing a single braille character with a first set the plurality of movable

independently moving each of the plurality of movable pins within the first set between the first position and the second position.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising:

moving the first set of the plurality movable pins independently from a second set of the plurality movable pins.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising:

interfacing, via the write head, the first set of movable pins before the write head interfaces with the second set of movable pins.