Braille display device and method of constructing same

US8690576B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Freedom Scientific, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Patrick Murphy · Riverview, US
• Todd Conard · Ruskin, US
• Waldemar H. Tunkis · Palm Harbor, US
• Michael Goldenberg · Melbourne, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 28, 2012
• Grant date: Apr 8, 2014
• Expiry date: Sep 28, 2032

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T29/49155
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Disclosed is a Braille display device. The device supports an array of individual Braille cells with corresponding tactile pins. The pins can be selectively lifted by way of reeds to generate Braille characters that can be felt by the user. The Braille characters can correspond to visible characters, such as characters on a computer screen. The display is refreshable to allow for the sequential display of lines, paragraphs, or pages. In accordance with the disclosure, the Braille cells are constructed in a manner that minimizes manufacturing costs and that also permits the size of the display to be greatly reduced.