JP2005249935A - Braille display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a braille display device in which low power consumption, miniaturization and cost reduction are possible. <P>SOLUTION: The device is equipped with: a display plate 3; a plurality of braille display pins 4 to 7 arranged in vertical and horizontal directions so that frequent appearance is enabled from a hole formed in the display plate 3; a cam 10 for making braille display pins 4 to 7 appeared to the display plate 3; an actuator 17 for rotating and driving the cam 10; and a control part for controlling the actuator 17. The braille display pins 4 to 7 have at least two rows and two columns in one square and each of the braille display pins 4 to 7 is composed so that the frequent appearance is enabled and furthermore, in the cam 10, a row of a projecting part 10x and a recessed part 10y in which at least either vertical or horizontal two rows of braill display pins 4 to 7 are made appeared simultaneously are arranged in parallel on a peripheral face of the cam 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a braille display device in which braille display pins that move in and out of a display plate are arranged vertically and horizontally.

  Braille is one of means for displaying characters such as letters, numbers and symbols. In Japan, in general, one character is displayed by displaying six points, which are arranged in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows in a square, with unevenness. In the US or the like, in addition to displaying one character with 6 points, for example, one character may be displayed with 8 points in 4 columns vertically and 2 columns horizontally.

  Conventionally, as a Braille display device that displays Braille mechanically, there is a device that displays Braille by moving a Braille display pin in and out. As an actuator for driving the Braille display pin in and out, one using a shape memory alloy (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2), one using a solenoid (for example, see Patent Document 3), or one using a piezoelectric actuator (For example, see Patent Document 4) and the like are known.

  However, in these braille display devices, power must be kept on in order to maintain the state of the displayed braille (the state in which the braille display pin is in the raised position). It was unsuitable for information terminals of the type.

Therefore, as a low power consumption type braille display device with reduced power consumption, a mechanism for converting the rotational motion of the motor into a linear motion is interposed as an actuator for driving the braille display pin in and out (for example, Patent Documents 5 and 6). (See, for example, Patent Document 7), etc., which are those that employ a solenoid but have a mechanism for maintaining a braille display state.
JP 2000-112339 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-212446 JP-A-9-127659 JP-A-6-301335 JP-A-11-161153 JP 7-36376 A JP 2002-156898 A

  The conventional low power consumption type is advantageous in that it is not necessary to keep supplying power to maintain the display state. However, one actuator is provided for one Braille display pin, or one Braille display is not provided. Since there are two actuators per mass (in other words, one actuator for each row of braille display pins), practical problems still remain in terms of miniaturization and cost.

  As an example that needs to be reduced in size, for example, a watch for the visually impaired can be considered. Conventionally, there are two main types of watches for visually impaired people: touch-reading and voice-type watches, and deciphering watches touch the long and short hands of an analog watch with your finger, The method is to know the time from the positional relationship, and the voice type is a method of notifying the time by voice by pressing a button switch. The tactile reading type has a problem that it is difficult to know the exact time from the way of reading, and the voice type is difficult to use depending on the surrounding environment (noise, etc.). Therefore, if the time is displayed in braille, the time can be known accurately and can be used without being influenced by the surrounding environment. It was difficult to reduce the size to the level.

  Also, many Braille display devices are arranged in 3 rows vertically and 2 rows horizontally to form one square, and in practice, the diameter of the Braille display pins is about 1.4 mm, and the interval between adjacent pins is 2.4- Since it is necessary to be about 3.0 mm and it is technically difficult to reduce the size and difficult in terms of cost, a piezoelectric actuator is used in the above conventional techniques. It is only what you did.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a braille display device capable of reducing power consumption, downsizing, and cost reduction.

  In order to achieve the above object, a braille display device according to the present invention includes a display plate, a plurality of braille display pins arranged vertically and horizontally so as to be able to protrude and retract from a through-hole formed in the display plate, and the braille display pin. A cam that moves in and out with respect to the display plate; an actuator that rotationally drives the cam; and a control unit that controls the actuator. The braille display pins are arranged in at least two rows vertically and two horizontally. Each of the braille display pins is configured to be projected and retracted by the cam, and the cam is provided with an uneven portion for projecting and retracting at least two vertical or horizontal braille display pins at the same time. The rows are arranged in parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the cam.

  Preferably, the cam is drivingly connected to the actuator via a worm gear, and the worm wheel of the worm gear is fixed to the cam shaft of the cam.

  When four braille display pins in two vertical rows and two horizontal rows are arranged in one square, the convex portions of the concavo-convex portions are arranged around the cam so as to drive the four braille display pins. It is preferable to arrange at a predetermined plurality of positions among the equally divided positions.

  When six braille display pins in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows are arranged in one square, the convex portions of the concave and convex portions are arranged around the cam so as to drive the six braille display pins. It is preferable to arrange at predetermined plural positions among the positions divided into 64 equal parts.

  It is preferable that the braille display device further includes an elastic body that urges the braille display pin toward the side to be immersed from the display plate.

  The actuator is preferably a stepping motor.

  According to the braille display device according to the present invention, the braille display state is maintained by the shape of the cam. Therefore, power is required only when the cam is rotated, and power consumption can be suppressed. In addition, since only one actuator is required to display braille for one square, it is possible to reduce the size as compared with the conventional case and to reduce the cost.

  Embodiments of a braille display device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 shows an embodiment of the braille display device according to the present invention, and is a cross-sectional plan view corresponding to the BB view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal side view corresponding to the AA view of FIG. FIG. In the illustrated example, a structure corresponding to one cell is shown.

  In the braille display device 1, a plurality of braille display pins 4 to 7 are vertically and horizontally arranged on a display plate 3 provided on the upper surface of a casing 2 so as to appear and retract. In the illustrated example, the Braille display pins 4 to 7 that move in and out are one square, and there are four vertical rows and two horizontal rows, and the remaining vertical third row is not a pin, but only for explanation. Display units 8 and 9. This is because, as will be described later, when only numbers are displayed, all numbers can be displayed with four points. In general, a numeral is represented by four points after a numeral mark composed of six points. For example, when the apparatus is used only as a clock, the numeral mark is fixed regardless of the apparatus. The convex point displaying the number mark can be fixed.

  In FIG. 1, the braille display pin 4 is “1 dot”, the braille display pin 5 is “2 dot”, the display unit 8 is “3 dot”, the braille display pin 6 is “4 dot”, and the braille display pin. 7 is referred to as “point 5”, and the display unit 9 is referred to as “point 6”.

  The braille display pins 4 to 7 have upper ends inserted into through holes 3 a formed in the braille display plate 3, and lower ends are supported by the cam 10.

On the outer peripheral surface of the cam 10, a row of concave and convex portions (10x, 10y) is formed in parallel for driving at least two rows of braille display pins 4-5, 6-7 to appear and disappear simultaneously. The cam 10 can form two rows of concave and convex portions on a single cam plate, or two cam plates 10a and 10b on which one row of concave and convex portions are formed as shown in the figure. It can also be configured.
The braille display pins 4, 5 (6, 7) arranged in a row so that the two braille display pins 4, 5 (6, 7) arranged in a row can move in and out simultaneously by one cam plate 10a (10b). Each length is set. In the illustrated example, since the center axis of the cam 10 and the center axis of the pins 4 and 6 coincide with each other, the braille display pins 5 and 7 are formed longer than the braille display pins 4 and 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and by arranging the central axis of the cam 10 at an intermediate position between the pins 4 and 5 (pins 6 and 7), all of the four pins 4 to 7 can have the same length. The diameter of the cam 10 is determined according to the interval between the pins 4 and 5 (6, 7).

  An elastic body 11 that urges the braille display pins 4 to 7 toward the side where the braille display pins 4 to 7 are immersed from the display plate 3 is disposed. In the illustrated example, the elastic body 11 is formed by a coil spring, and the coil spring is externally fitted to the braille display pins 4 to 7, one end of which abuts against the back surface of the display plate 3, and the other end of the braille display pins 4 to 7, the braille display pins 4 to 7 are elastically pushed down toward the cam 10.

  When the cam 10 rotates and the braille display pins 4 to 7 are pushed by the convex portion 10x formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam 10, the braille display pins 4 to 7 are displayed against the elastic force of the elastic body 11. Project from the plate 3. When the braille display pins 4 to 7 are not in contact with the convex portion 10 x, the braille display pins 4 to 7 are pushed by the elastic body 11 and sunk from the display plate 3, and are supported on the outer peripheral surface of the cam 10. .

  Note that the elastic body 11 can be omitted when the braille display device 1 is always installed and used on a horizontal plane. In that case, it is because the braille display pins 4 to 7 are sunk from the display plate 3 by their own weight when not pressed by the convex portion 10x.

  In the illustrated example, both of the pair of cam plates 10a and 10b are fixed to a common cam shaft 10c. The convex portion 10x is formed at a predetermined position on the outer peripheral surface of each of the cam plates 10a and 10b, and the position will be described later.

  A worm wheel 13 is fixed to the cam shaft 10 c in parallel with the cam 10. A worm gear 14 is engaged with the worm wheel 13 to form a worm gear, and a gear 16 fixed to the rotating shaft 15 of the worm 14. Is meshed with a gear 18 fixed to the rotation shaft of the actuator 17.

  In the illustrated example, the actuator 17 that drives the cam 10 is a stepping motor, and is controlled so that the cam 10 rotates to a predetermined angular position by a control unit (not shown) such as a microcomputer.

  Next, the position where the convex portion 10x is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 (a) is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the braille display device in an exploded manner, taking as an example the case where the display contents are only numbers for the sake of easy understanding. It is the table | surface showing the number corresponding to an uneven | corrugated | grooved part.

  The cam 10 is divided into 12 equal parts, and for the sake of explanation, symbols from A to L are attached to the positions divided into 12 parts. 8 points (A, C, E, F, G, I, J, K) of the left cam plate 10a, and 6 points (A, B, D, E, F) of the right cam plate 10b. , K), the protruding portion 10x protrudes by the same amount as the braille display pins 4 to 7 are pushed up with respect to the reference circle. By rotating the cam 10 having such a configuration, numerals can be displayed at four points.

  As an example, the state of FIG. 3 represents the numeral “4”, but from this state, the cam 10 is rotated 120 ° (the left cam plate 10a is counterclockwise in the figure and the right cam plate 10b is clockwise). When rotated, the numeral "7" can be displayed (the part E of the cam plate 10a moves to the position A in the figure). Other numbers can be displayed in the same way.

  In the above example, since the numbers are displayed, the entire circumference is divided into 12 equal parts. This is because the four braille display pins 4 to 4 are in two states where the braille display pins 4 to 7 are “out” or “down”. 7 is considered (4 to the 4th power of 2), except for those that are not necessary for display (4 ways). If all six braille display pins are displayed using the same concept, all This can be realized by dividing the circumference into 64 equal parts (64 to the 6th power of 2), providing convex portions at appropriate portions, and moving the six braille display pins in and out.

  By adopting the configuration as described above, the Braille display device according to the present invention requires only one actuator for displaying one square of Braille, and thus can be reduced in size compared to the conventional one. Cost can also be reduced.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view showing an embodiment of the Braille display device according to the present invention and corresponding to the view BB in FIG. 2. It is a vertical side view corresponding to the AA view of FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram conceptually showing the braille display device of FIG. 1 in an exploded manner, and FIG. 3B corresponds to the explanatory diagram of FIG. 3 and corresponds to the operating state of the braille display device. It is a table showing the numbers to be.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Braille display device 3 Display plates 4-7 Braille display pin 10 Cam 10x Convex part 10y Concave part 11 Elastic body 17 Actuator

Claims (6)

A display plate, a plurality of braille display pins arranged vertically and horizontally through a through hole formed in the display plate, a cam for moving the braille display pin in and out with respect to the display plate, and rotating the cam An actuator, and a controller for controlling the actuator,
The braille display pins have at least two rows vertically and two rows horizontally, and each of the braille display pins is configured to be moved in and out by the cam.
The cam has a braille display device in which rows of concave and convex portions that allow the vertical and horizontal braille display pins to move in and out simultaneously are arranged in parallel on the outer peripheral surface of the cam. The braille display device according to claim 1, wherein the cam is drivingly connected to the actuator via a worm gear, and a worm wheel of the worm gear is fixed to a cam shaft of the cam. The projections of the concavo-convex portions are a plurality of predetermined positions among the positions obtained by dividing the circumference of the cam into 12 parts so as to drive the four Braille display pins arranged in two vertical rows and two horizontal rows in one square. The braille display device according to claim 1, wherein the braille display device is disposed at a position. A plurality of predetermined positions among the convex portions of the concavo-convex portion that divide the circumference of the cam into 64 equal parts so as to drive the six braille display pins arranged in three vertical rows and two horizontal rows in one square. The braille display device according to claim 1, wherein the braille display device is disposed on the screen. The braille display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising an elastic body that biases the braille display pin toward a side to be immersed from the display plate. The braille display device according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is a stepping motor.

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