JPH0844289A - Pin display - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve holding power of pin positions, to enable continuous displacement and to detect the pin positions with simple constitution with a pin display which displays stereoscopic images. CONSTITUTION:A driving mechanism 3 consists of motors 4a, 4b for rotating a shaft 11 around the axial line horizontal with the pins 2, a feed screw section 21 for screwing the shaft 11 and the pins 2 to each other and a supporting means 9 for detaining rotation of the respective pins 2 around their axial lines and supporting the pins freely linearly movably along the axial line directions. The shaft 11 is supported movably in the axial line direction of the pins 2 and has energizing means for energizing the pins 2 toward their front ends. The shaft 11 is provided with a switching means which is switched by the movement in the axial line direction of the shaft. The meticulous stereoscopic images are displayed by the motors 4a, 4b and a movable cable is abolished by disconnecting the switching means 6 from the moving shafts, such as shaft 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used not only for visually impaired persons to recognize a shape, but also for stereoscopically displaying advertisements, paintings and the like, and for stereoscopically displaying characters and figures on a computer display. It relates to a pin display used for, for example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a pin display of this type, for example, there is one having a structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-96863. This pin display has a plurality of stepping motors arranged on the substrate with their axes parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and a cap-shaped male screw portion provided at the tip of the shaft of the stepping motor. And a pin into which the nut-shaped member is screwed.
The axis of the pin and the axis of the output shaft are parallel to each other, and in a state of being slightly decentered in the horizontal direction to prevent rotation, the pins can freely project and retract in the through holes formed in the front plate.

The stepping motors are arranged so as to be displaced in three stages in the axial direction, so that the shafts can be arranged close to each other and arranged at a high density. In this case, in order to configure the pin display having such an arrangement of the stepping motor, first, the motor is arranged at a predetermined position on the board arranged at the lowermost end and fixed by screws, and then from above. The operation of placing another motor on the other stacked substrate and fixing it with a screw is repeated. Then, the wirings from the respective motors having the three-tiered hierarchical structure in this manner are drawn out from between the respective substrates and connected to the driver arranged outside the display main body.

[0004]

By the way, in the pin display constructed as described above, an operator who touches a three-dimensional figure being displayed can obtain more detailed information about the part of the figure being touched. It would be convenient if we could obtain it. That is, when it is detected that an operator touches a pin that constitutes each part of a three-dimensional figure, information output by the figure at the location of the pin is assisted by other output means such as voice output and Braille output. If it is possible to display the image, it is possible to make the operator understand the figure displayed on the pin display more deeply.

Conventionally, as such a pin display, for example, the paper "Drawing Recognition Support System for the Blind", The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, D-II, Vol. J72-D
-II, No. 9, pp. 1526-1533, 198
There is a structure shown in September 1997. In the tactile display shown in this paper, a plurality of solenoids are used as actuators for driving a plurality of arranged pins, and a switch using a pressure conductive rubber is arranged at the tips of the pins. With this, when the tip of the pin is pressed, the voltage signal generated in the conductive rubber under pressure can be taken out according to the pressing force, so that the position of the figure touched by the operator can be recognized by the signal. , Information indicating the position can be output.

However, in the above-mentioned tactile display, since the switch using the pressure conductive rubber is arranged in the movable portion such as the pin, the wiring for extracting the voltage signal becomes the movable cable, and the structure is adopted. Is complicated, and the durability is reduced. Further, in order to improve the holding force of the position of the pin and to displace the pin continuously, if the actuator is configured by a stepping motor like the above-mentioned pin display, the structure becomes more complicated and the pressing force is increased. The wiring route of the cable from the conductive rubber cannot be secured.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and improves the holding force of the position of the pin and enables continuous displacement, and has a simple structure that does not use a movable cable. An object of the present invention is to provide a pin display capable of detecting the position of the pin.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of parallel pins arranged at regular intervals and a plurality of pins for linear movement separately along the axial direction. A pin display for displaying a three-dimensional image by changing the tip position of each pin, wherein the drive mechanism rotates a shaft around an axis parallel to the pin, The shaft comprises a feed screw portion that is screwed into the pin and a pin, and a support means that is provided on each pin and that locks the rotation around the axis thereof and that is linearly movable along the axial direction. , Movably supported in the axial direction of the pin, and has urging means for urging toward the tip of the pin, and the shaft is provided with a switch means which is switched by the movement in the axial direction. It has proposed a pin display.

In the above pin display, the motor comprises a rotor having a magnet fixed to a shaft and a stator having a cylindrical coil arranged around the rotor, and at both ends of the stator in the axial direction, It is effective to provide a bearing that supports the shaft so that the shaft can rotate and move in the axial direction, and the stator is longer than the rotor in the axial direction.

Further, the switch means is a push-type switch having a pressing portion which is pressed by the shaft and an elastic member which sets the pressing pressure of the pressing portion to a constant value.
The biasing means may be configured by the elastic member.
Further, it is more effective if the tip of the shaft that presses the pressing portion is formed in a substantially spherical shape, and the pressing portion is formed in a concave shape having a larger radius of curvature than the tip of the shaft. is there.

[0011]

According to the pin display of the present invention, when the shaft is rotated by the operation of the motor, the pin is linearly moved in the axial direction by the feed screw portion and the supporting means provided on the shaft and the pin. As a result, the tip position of the pin is continuously displaced, and a fine three-dimensional image can be displayed due to a subtle difference in height from the adjacent pin.

In this case, since the shaft of the motor is supported so as to be movable in the axial direction thereof and is biased in the tip direction of the pin by the biasing means, it is positioned in a state of being biased in the tip direction of the pin. To be made. Then, at that position, the pin is advanced and retracted by being rotated around the axis.

In this state, when the operator pushes the tip of the pin in the axial direction against the urging force of the urging means, the shaft is moved in the axial direction and the switch means provided on the shaft is operated. Will be done. This makes it possible to recognize the position of the figure touched by the operator, and based on this, it is possible to provide the information held by the position of the figure.

Further, in the above pin display, if the length of the rotor having the shaft fixed to the magnet is made shorter than that of the stator having the cylindrical coil around it, the rotor is supported by the bearing. Even when the shaft is moved in the axial direction, the rotational angular position of the rotor due to the excitation of the coil is maintained at the correct position.

Further, in the above pin display,
By making the switch means a push-type switch,
The switch means is separated from the shaft that is the movable part,
It is possible to simplify the structure by avoiding wiring on the movable part. Furthermore, if an elastic member that sets the pressing force of the pressing portion of the push-type switch to a constant value is used as the urging means, the position of the figure touched by the operator can be recognized with a simpler configuration. It will be possible.

In this case, as a result of the switch means being separated from the shaft which is the movable portion, there arises a problem of positioning between the pressing portion of the switch means and the shaft for pressing this, but the tip of the shaft is formed into a substantially spherical shape. However, if the pressing portion is formed in a concave shape having a larger radius of curvature than that, the shaft and the pressing portion are automatically aligned and it is possible to prevent the both from coming off. Therefore,
The shaft and the switch means can be assembled in a state where they are displaced from each other to some extent, and the assembly work can be easily performed.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the pin display according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 1, the pin display 1 of the present embodiment has a plurality of parallel pins 2 arranged at regular intervals in the horizontal direction.
And a drive mechanism 3 for linearly moving the pins 2 in the vertical direction. The drive mechanism 3 includes stepping motors 4a and 4b (hereinafter simply referred to as motors) arranged in two stages below the pin 2 and the motors 4a and 4b.
It is provided with a driver 5 for driving b, a linear movement mechanism 8 for converting the rotation of the motors 4a, 4b into vertical movement of the pin 2, and a switch means 6 arranged below the motors 4a, 4b.

The pins 2 are formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom whose axis is vertically arranged, and are arranged with the closed ends 2a facing upward. These pins 2 are arranged so as to be inserted into through holes 7a formed in the front plate 7, and can be moved back and forth from the surface of the front plate 7 by being moved up and down. The pin 2 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
They are arranged in a square shape with 16 rows and 16 columns.

Further, an outer flange-shaped flange 2b is provided at the opening end arranged at the lower end of each of the pins 2, and the flange 2b is projected downward from the lower surface of the front plate 7 in the vertical direction. A guide hole 9b for inserting the provided guide rod 9a is provided. These guide rod 9a and guide hole 9b
The support means 9 for guiding the linear movement of the pin 2 in the axial direction is constituted by. Further, on the inner surface of the pin 2, a female screw 10 that is screwed into a male screw of a shaft of the motors 4a and 4b described later is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, each of the motors 4a and 4b has a rotor 13 composed of a shaft 11 arranged in the vertical direction and a cylindrical magnet 12 bonded to the shaft 11, and a rotor 12 of the magnet 12. It is composed of a stator 16 in which a cylindrical coil 14 arranged with a gap around it is fixed to a housing 15.

A male screw 17 is formed on the upper end of the shaft 11 and is screwed into the female screw 10 of the pin 2. Further, the shaft 11 penetrates the housing 15 of the motors 4a and 4b in the vertical direction, and has its ends arranged above and below, and the housing 1
It is rotatably supported by metal bearings (bearings) 18 arranged at both ends of 5.

Here, in the motors 4a and 4b of the pin display 1 according to the present embodiment, the axial length of the stator 16 is longer than that of the rotor 13, and the rotor 13 in the housing 15 is It is possible to move linearly by a moving space provided in the axial direction. In this case, the linear movement of the rotor 13 is supported by the metal bearing 18 that rotatably supports the shaft 11. The amount of movement of the rotor 13 in the housing 15 in the axial direction is set to at least a dimension at which the switch means 6 described later can be operated.

The driver 5, for example, for four motors 4a (4b) is mounted on one driver substrate (hereinafter referred to as driver substrate 5),
The wiring 19 from each of the motors 4a and 4b is connected by a connector 20.

The linear movement mechanism 8 is composed of a feed screw portion 21 including a male screw 17 provided on the shaft 11 and a female screw 10 screwed to the male screw 17, and the supporting means 9. As a result, when the motors 4a and 4b are operated and the shaft 11 is rotated, the male screw 1 that rotates
The female screw 10 moves in the tightening direction or the loosening direction with respect to 7, so that the pin 2 can be linearly moved in the vertical direction.

The switch means 6 includes the shaft 11
The pressing portion 22 pressed by the lower end of the spring, and the elastic member 23 (biasing means) such as a built-in coil spring or leaf spring
It is a push-type switch composed of and. Therefore, the switch means 6 is set to have a constant pressing force by the elastic member 23, and one for each pin 2 is formed in a square shape of 16 rows and 16 columns, which is the same as the pin 2. They are arranged on the substrate 24. Each switch means 6 is connected to a control device (not shown) arranged outside the cabinet 30, and when the switch means 6 is pressed down, the position of the pressed pin 2 can be recognized. Has become.

Here, in this embodiment, the pressing portion 22 of the switch means 6 is formed in a concave shape which is deepest in the central portion. Further, the lower end portion 25 of the shaft 11 is formed in a substantially spherical shape having a radius of curvature sufficiently smaller than the radius of curvature of the pressing portion 22. Therefore, when the lower end portion 25 of the shaft 11 comes into contact with the pressing portion 22 of the switch means 6 and presses the pressing portion 22 downward, due to problems such as assembling accuracy, both are eccentric as shown in FIG. Even when arranged, the lower end portion 25 of the shaft 11 follows the concave shape of the pressing portion 22,
It is designed to move toward its center.

The pin display 1 of this embodiment as described above
In FIG. 16, the pins 2 of 16 rows and 16 columns are divided into two groups, and the plurality of motors 4a and 4b for driving the pins 2 of each group and the driver 5 are respectively combined into two drive units 26. 27 are configured. Each group is divided so that every other pin 2 arranged in the row direction and the column direction of the arrangement of the pins 2 is the same group. That is, for eight rows of pins 2 for one row and for 16 rows, one drive unit 26.2.
It is driven by 7.

Each of the drive units 26, 27 has a frame 28 having a central portion 28a formed higher, and a lower plate (substrate) 29 fixed to the central portion 28a of the frame 28 and arranged horizontally. A plurality of motors 4a and 4b mounted on the lower plate 29 and an upper plate (plate member) arranged in parallel with the lower plate 29 so as to sandwich the motors 4a and 4b between the lower plate 29 and the motors 4a and 4b.
31, a driver substrate 5 fixed to both ends 28b of the frame 28, the driver substrate 5 and the motors 4a, 4
and a wiring 19 for connecting to b. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 32 is a connection board for connecting a plurality of driver boards 5.

The lower plate 29 and the upper plate 31 are fixed via a spacer 33 so that the distance between them is kept constant. The lower plate 29 and the upper plate 31 have motor positioning holes (fitting positions) for fitting the metal bearings 18 arranged at both ends of the housing 15 of the motor 4a (4b) grouped as described above, respectively. Hole) 34, and the shaft 11 of the motor 4b (4a) of another drive unit 26/27, which is arranged at an intermediate position between these motor positioning holes 34.
And a through-hole 35 for penetrating.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the motor positioning hole 34 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the metal bearing 18 of the motors 4a and 4b.
The motors 4a and 4b are roughly positioned by leaving a minute gap G therebetween. That is, the motors 4a and 4b
The shaft 11 of the pin 2 has the female screw 10 of the pin 2 as described above.
A male screw 17 is screwed onto the pin 2, and the pin 2 is attached to the support means 9
Since the movement of the motors 4a and 4b is restricted by the front plate 7 in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, the positions of the motors 4a and 4b are almost uniquely determined by the front plate 7.

On the other hand, the motor positioning hole 34 is
It is expected that a slight misalignment will occur depending on the processing accuracy and the assembly accuracy.
If 8 is fitted with a minute gap G, the gap G can absorb the positional deviation between the motor positioning hole 34 and the pin 2, and position the motors 4a and 4b following the pin 2. It will be possible. In addition, the through hole 35
Are formed to have a diameter sufficiently larger than the outer diameter of the shaft 11 of the motors 4a and 4b.

Further, the motors 4a and 4b are connected by two by a connecting plate 36. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the connecting plate 36 is used for the motors 4a and 4b.
Is fixed to one end of the housing 15 by welding or the like, and when the motors 4a and 4b are mounted on the lower plate 29,
It is arranged horizontally between the housing 15 of the motors 4a and 4b and the lower plate 29. The connecting plate 36 has a through hole 37 at the center position of the two motors 4a and 4b, which is aligned with the through hole 35 of the lower plate 29 when the motors 4a and 4b are mounted on the lower plate 29.
Is provided.

In this way, the pair of two motors 4a and 4b integrally connected by the connecting plate 36 in the state where the shaft 11 projecting from the lower side of the housing 15 is projected downward from the motor positioning hole 34. Lower plate 29
To be installed on. At this time, the two drive units 2
7, the motors 4a and 4b are mounted in the same arrangement via the frame 28.

The motors 4a and 4b are sandwiched between the upper plate 31 and the lower plate 29 with the metal bearing 18 fitted in the motor positioning hole 34. As a result, the housings 15 of the motors 4a and 4b are prevented from moving in the horizontal direction and the axial direction, and the rotational movement around the axis is also suppressed by the connecting plate 36.

In the two drive units 26 and 27, only the positions of the shafts 11 of the motors 4a and 4b in the axial direction are different. That is, the shaft 11 of the one drive unit 26 is arranged below the shaft 11 of the other drive unit 27 with respect to the housing 15 of the motor 4 a. As a result, when one drive unit 26 is arranged over the other drive unit 27, the shaft 11 of the motor 4b of the other drive unit 27 penetrates the through hole 35 of the drive unit 26. And the upper end thereof is arranged at the same position as the upper end of the shaft 11 of the motor 4a of the drive unit 26.

In this case, as the parts such as the housing 15 and the shaft 11 which compose the motors 4a and 4b, those common to both drive units 26 and 27 are used, and the rotor 4
If the mounting positions of the shaft 11 on the magnets a and 4b (not shown) are made different, common parts can be achieved. Therefore, the lower end position of the shaft 11 whose tip positions are aligned in the state where the drive units 26 and 27 are overlapped is also arranged in the same horizontal plane.

The driver substrate 5 includes the motor 4a.
The left and right ends 2 of the central portion 28a in which 4b are arranged
8b, each of which is provided with one drive unit 2
Eight motors 4a-4 for one row driven by 6/27
4 motors 4a and 4 of the left half and the right half of b
b are respectively driven. A driver circuit (not shown) for driving each of the motors 4a and 4b is incorporated in these driver substrates 5, and four connectors 20 for connecting the wiring 19 from each of the motors 4a and 4b are provided. It is arranged. Each connector 20
The motors 4a and 4b are arranged in the horizontal direction at the same pitch.

The wiring 19 connected to each of the motors 4a and 4b is, for example, a flexible flat cable, and the same wire is used for each of the motors 4a and 4b. Therefore, the wiring 19 whose one end is connected to the motors 4a and 4b arranged at a constant pitch
The other end portion of the driver board 5 is displaced by the pitch of the motors 4a and 4b.
Since they are arranged at the same pitch as the motors 4a and 4b, it is possible to connect the wirings 19 in an orderly manner so as not to cause excessive sagging.

One connecting board 5 is provided for each of the 16 driver boards 5 in the left half and 16 driver boards 5 in the right half of the frame 28, and these driver boards 5 are provided. 5 is connected to a control device (not shown) arranged outside the cabinet 30.

The drive unit 26 thus constructed
As shown in FIG. 2, one drive unit 26 can be superposed from the other drive unit 27 in a state in which one drive unit 26 is rotated 90 ° in the horizontal plane with respect to the other drive unit 27. There is. In this case, each drive unit 2
The motors 4a and 4b of 6.27 are arranged such that the motor 4b of the other drive unit 27 is arranged at the intermediate position with respect to the motor 4a of the one drive unit 26 shown by the solid line in FIG. Will be.

As a result, the shaft 11 of the motor 4b of the other drive unit 27 arranged on the lower side is formed on the lower plate 29, the connecting plate 36 and the upper plate 31 of the one drive unit 26 arranged on the upper side. The motor 4 of the drive unit 26, which has one upper end passing through the through holes 27 and 29.
It is arranged at the same height as the upper end of the shaft 11 of a. Further, the shaft 11 of the motor 4a of the one driving unit 26 arranged on the upper side has the through plates 35, 37 of the upper plate 31, the connecting plate 36, and the lower plate 29 of the other driving unit 27 arranged on the lower side. It penetrates, and the lower end thereof is arranged at the same height as the lower end of the shaft 11 of the motor 4b of the other drive unit 27. The lower ends of the shafts 11 of the motors 4a and 4b of the two drive units 26 and 27 are disposed in contact with the switch means 6 arranged below the drive unit 27, and are pushed upward by the pressing force of the switch means 6. It is supposed to be urged.

The pin display 1 configured as described above
The operation of will be described below. First, when a control signal is given to each driver 5 from a control device arranged outside the cabinet 30, the motors 4a and 4b connected to the driver 5 are actuated to cause the shaft 11 to rotate at a specified angle around the axis. Can only be rotated. As a result, the linear movement mechanism 5 is operated and the pin 2 is linearly moved in the vertical direction by an amount corresponding to the rotation angle of the shaft 11. As a result, a height difference occurs at the tips of the pins 2 arranged in the horizontal direction.
A three-dimensional image will be displayed.

In this case, the pin display 1 in this embodiment uses the linear movement mechanism 5 to drive the motors 4a and 4b.
Since the pin 2 is driven by, the pin 2 can be continuously displaced, and a smooth three-dimensional image can be displayed as a whole. Moreover, since the linear movement mechanism 5 is composed of the feed screw portion 21, the motor 4
The position of the pin 2 can be held even if the power supplied to a and 4b is cut off, and the power consumption is reduced.

Next, when the operator operating the pin display 1 pushes down the tip of the pin 2, the shaft 11 is lowered against the elastic force of the elastic member 23 of the switch means 6. As a result, the switch means 6 is pressed and turned on, and the position of the pin 2 is transmitted to the control device. Then, the control device can notify the operator of the information held by the pressed pin 2 or the position of the pin 2 by voice output, Braille output, or output of a stereoscopic image by the pin display 1. Further, when the pressed pin 2 is released, the switch means 6 is turned off.
Then, the pin 2 is restored to its original position by the pressing force of the elastic member 23.

Therefore, according to the pin display 1 of this embodiment, the switch means 6 is separated from the shaft 11 which is the movable portion, and the wiring from the switch means 6 is connected to the substrate 24.
Since it can be configured by the fixed wiring inside, an orderly and simple structure can be obtained as a whole. In the pin display 1 having the switch means 6 for recognizing the position information of the pin 2 as described above, the motors 4a and 4 are used as actuators for linearly moving the pin 2.
Since b can be adopted, the position of the pin 2 can be held reliably and with low power consumption.

Further, the pin display 1 of this embodiment is
It can be simply configured as follows. That is,
In the present embodiment, the plurality of arranged pins 2 are divided into two groups, and the motors 4a and 4b for driving the pins 2 of each group and the driver 5 are combined to form separate drive units 26 and 27. As a result, it is possible to perform operations such as assembly, adjustment, and maintenance for each drive unit 26/27. Therefore, when mounting the motors 4a and 4b, the motors 4a and 4b arranged in other stages
It is not necessary to consider interference with the shaft 11 and the like, and workability can be improved.

Further, the motors 4a and 4 arranged in high density
By dividing b into groups, the distance between the motors 4a and 4b at the time of assembly can be increased, and the assembly work can be facilitated. In this case, in the present embodiment, since the motors 4a and 4b are assembled to the lower plate 29 attached to the central portion 28a of the frame 28 which is formed higher than both end portions 28b, the shafts 11 of the motors 4a and 4b are assembled. A working space can be formed at the lower end of the. That is, since the frame 28 can be used as a work auxiliary stand, workability of the assembling work is improved.

Moreover, each drive unit 26/27 has
Since the driver substrate 5 for driving the motors 4a and 4b is also mounted on both ends 28b of the frame 28, the wiring 19 can be arranged in an orderly manner, and the overall structure can be made compact. . In addition, it is convenient because tests, adjustments, etc. can be performed in units of the drive units 26 and 27.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the motors 4a and 4b of the two drive units 26 and 27 are arranged in the same manner and one drive unit 26 is rotated 90 ° with respect to the other drive unit 27, Since the motor 4a of the one drive unit 26 is arranged at the interval position of the motor 4b of the other drive unit 27, the drive unit 26.
7 can be shared. That is, in the present embodiment, the two drive units 26 and 27 can be configured by exactly the same parts except that the bonding positions of the rotor magnet and the shaft 11 are different, and the number of parts can be reduced. You can As a result, the management of parts can be facilitated and the product cost can be reduced.

Further, the pin display 1 according to this embodiment.
In the above, in the state where the two motors 4a (4b) are connected by the connecting plate 36, the two motors 4a (4b) are fitted in the motor positioning holes 34 provided in the lower plate 29, and the upper plate 31 and the lower plate 29 are Since it is sandwiched between them, the movement of the motors 4a and 4b in the horizontal and axial directions and the rotation around the axes can be restricted without using screws or the like. As a result, the work of fixing the plurality of motors 4a and 4b one by one with screws or the like can be eliminated, and the number of work steps can be significantly reduced. Further, the work of inserting screws between the high-density arranged motors 4a and 4b can be abolished to prevent the dropping and loss of the vis, and the workability of the assembling work and the maintenance work can be improved. Further, it is possible to save the screw insertion space and to increase the density of the motors 4a and 4b.

Furthermore, the metal bearing 1 of the motors 4a and 4b
Since 8 is fitted in the motor positioning hole 34 with a certain small gap G, it can be assembled to the shaft 11 and the like positioned by the feed screw portion 21 and the supporting means 9 without causing an unreasonable force. You can Therefore, the movement of the motors 4a and 4b in each direction can be surely restrained, and the soundness of each mechanism including the motors 4a and 4b can be maintained for a long period of time.

Further, in the case where the shaft 11 whose position is determined by the feed screw portion 21 or the like as described above, the switch means 6 abutting against the lower end of the shaft 11 is displaced due to problems such as assembly accuracy. Can be considered. However, in this embodiment, the lower end portion 25 of the shaft 11 is formed into a substantially spherical shape, and the pressing portion 22 of the switch means 6 is formed into a concave shape having a larger radius of curvature than the lower end portion 25 of the shaft 11. The concave surface is formed by the pressing portion 22.
Since the shaft 11 is formed so as to be the deepest in the central part, the shaft 11 is directed toward the central part of the switch means 6 following the concave shape of the pressing part 22. As a result, it is possible to prevent the shaft 11 from coming off from the switch means 6, and it is possible to prevent a malfunction such as a malfunction.

Incidentally, the pin display 1 according to this embodiment.
In the above, the pins 2 arranged in a square shape are divided into two groups, and two drive units 26 and 27 for driving the pins 2 are provided for each group. However, the motors 4a and 4b are not limited to this.
When the number of stages of the motors 4a and 4b is increased in a case where the motors are arranged in a higher density, the number of drive units 26 and 27 may be provided according to the number of stages.

For example, when there are three drive units, the motors of all the drive units can be arranged so that the motors can be arranged corresponding to the respective pins 2 by rotating them by 60 ° and mounting them. Just determine the sequence. Further, in this case, it is preferable that the arrangement of the motors is the same because the number of parts can be reduced and the product cost can be reduced as in the above embodiment.

Further, in the above embodiment, the motor 4a
As a method of fixing 4b, a method of connecting the two motors 4a (4b) by the connecting plate 36 and sandwiching them by the upper plate 31 and the lower plate 29 is adopted. But,
The method is not limited to this, and instead of this, 3
One or more motors may be connected.

[0056]

As described in detail above, in the pin display according to the present invention, the drive mechanism has a motor for rotating the shaft around an axis parallel to the pin, and a feed screw portion for screwing the shaft and the pin with each other. And a support means for locking the rotation of each pin around the axis and supporting the pin so as to be linearly movable along the axial direction. The shaft is movably supported in the axial direction of the pin, and the tip of the pin is also provided. Since the shaft is provided with a switch means that can be switched by moving the shaft in the axial direction, the position of the pin can be continuously changed by the motor, and fine adjustment can be made. A stereoscopic image can be displayed.
Further, in such a pin display, it is possible to separate the switch means from the shaft that is the movable portion, the movable cable can be eliminated, the structure can be simplified, and the durability of the device can be improved. Play.

In the above pin display, the motor is composed of a rotor having a magnet fixed to a shaft and a stator having a cylindrical coil arranged around the rotor, and the shaft is provided at both ends of the stator. By providing a bearing for rotatably and movably in the axial direction and forming the stator in the axial direction longer than the rotor, the pin display having the above-mentioned effect can be most simply configured. In this case, even if the shaft is moved in the axial direction by pressing the pin by the operator, the rotor is arranged in the coil of the stator and the force for holding the rotational angular position is generated. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of problems such as displacement of the pin when the shaft is restored.

Further, in the above pin display,
The switch means is a push-type switch having a pressing portion that is pressed by the shaft and an elastic member that sets the pressing pressure to a constant value. If the elastic member constitutes the biasing means, the switch The pin pressed by the operator can be restored to the original position by the pressing force of the means. As a result, the number of parts can be reduced and the structure can be simplified.

If the tip of the shaft for pressing the pressing portion is formed in a substantially spherical shape and the pressing portion is formed in a concave shape having a larger radius of curvature than the tip of the shaft, the shaft has a concave shape of the pressing portion. Since the alignment is performed in accordance with, it is possible to prevent the shaft from coming off the pressing portion and causing a malfunction. Therefore, it is possible to assemble with a certain degree of simple positioning without increasing the processing accuracy and the assembly accuracy for increasing the positioning accuracy of each of the plurality of motors arranged at high density. It is possible to improve the property and reduce the product cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of a pin display according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pin display of FIG.

3 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of a motor in the pin display of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway front view showing a contact portion between a switch means and a shaft in the pin display shown in FIG.

5 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a mounted state of the motor of the pin display shown in FIG.

6 is a plan view showing the arrangement of motors in the pin display of FIG. 1. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1-pin display 2-pin 3 drive mechanism 4a, 4b motor 6 switch means 9 support means 11 shaft 12 magnet 13 rotor 14 coil 16 stator 18 metal bearing (bearing) 21 feed screw portion 22 pressing portion 23 resilient member (biasing means)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Hanazumi 1-297 Kitabukuro-cho, Omiya-shi, Saitama Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Mechatronics & Production System Development Center

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of parallel pins arranged at regular intervals and a plurality of drive mechanisms for separately linearly moving the pins along the axial direction, the tip position of each pin being changed. Is a pin display for displaying a three-dimensional image, wherein the drive mechanism rotates a shaft around an axis parallel to the pin, a feed screw portion that is screwed into the shaft and the pin, and each pin. And a support means for locking rotation about the axis and supporting linear movement along the axial direction, wherein the shaft is movably supported in the axial direction of the pin and A pin display characterized in that it has an urging means for urging it toward the tip, and the shaft is provided with a switch means which is switched by its movement in the axial direction. 2. A motor comprises a rotor having a shaft to which a magnet is fixed, and a stator having a cylindrical coil arranged around the rotor, and the shaft is provided at both ends in the axial direction of the stator. The pin display according to claim 1, wherein a bearing that supports the rotor so as to be rotatable and movable in the axial direction is provided, and the stator is formed to be longer in the axial direction than the rotor. 3. The switch means comprises a push-type switch having a pressing portion to be pressed by a shaft and an elastic member for setting the pressing pressure of the pressing portion to a constant value, and the urging means comprises the elastic member. The pin display according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pin display comprises a member. 4. The shaft, which presses the pressing portion, has a tip formed in a substantially spherical shape, and the pressing portion is formed in a concave shape having a larger radius of curvature than the tip of the shaft. Item 3. A pin display according to item 3.