Impact resistant modular braille display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11062623-B2
Application number	US-202016747858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 21, 2020
Priority date	Jun 20, 2017
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is a braille display that is impact resistant and that employs a modular construction. The impact resistance is achieved, in part, by molded and resilient end caps. Each end cap includes a centrally positioned slit that functions in absorbing lateral impacts to the display. The impact resistance is further achieved by an over molded housing that is positioned about an associated USB connector. The modularity of the display is achieved by way of a subassembly that is releasably secured within the interior of a main housing. The subassembly, in turn, includes a series of cell compartments that are arranged in groups. Each group of cell compartments is controlled by an individual shift register. This allows a grouping cell compartments to be removed and replaced as needed without disturbing the remaining cell components.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A modular braille display device comprising:
a main housing including an opened forward extent and a closed rearward extent, opposing sides, and an upper plane, an impact resistant end cap positioned over each of the opposing sides, a series of braille keys formed adjacent to the closed rearward extent and positioned within the upper plane, a motherboard positioned within the main housing;
a subassembly positioned within the opened forward extent of the main housing, the subassembly including a series of individual cell compartments, with each cell compartment including a female electrical connector and housing a set of individually actuated braille pins, the subassembly further including a tactile plane with a series of apertures, the braille pins being registered with the series of apertures so that the braille pins can be selectively actuated to extend above the tactile plane and thereby generate an individual braille character to be perceived by a user, the tactile plane being positioned within the upper plane of the main housing;
a series of backplanes, each backplane including a first surface supporting a series of male electrical connectors and a second surface supporting an electrical circuit, a subset of the series of cell compartments being connected to an associated backplane via the female and male electrical connectors, with the subset of cell compartments receiving instructions via the electrical circuit of the associated backplane;
a series of flex cables interconnecting the series of backplanes and the motherboard.

2. The modular braille display device as described in claim 1 wherein each end cap includes a centrally located slit, with each slit functioning as a shock absorber for the end cap.

3. The modular braille display device as described in claim 1 further comprising an anchor formed upon the interior face of each end cap, with the anchor being employed in securing the end cap to the main housing.

4. The modular braille display device as described in claim 1 wherein each individual cell compartment can be removed from the subassembly without disturbing the remaining cell compartments.

5. The modular braille display device as described in claim 1 further comprising a faceplate positioned over the opened forward extent of the main housing for securing the subassembly in place within the main housing.

6. The modular braille display device as descried in claim 1 wherein the flex cables can be uncoupled from the backplanes to facilitate the removal of an individual backplane.

7. A modular braille display device comprising:
a main housing including an opened forward extent, a closed rearward extent, and an upper plane;
a subassembly positioned within the opened forward extent of the main housing, the subassembly including a series of individual cell compartments, with each cell compartment including an electrical connector and housing a set of individually actuated braille pins, the subassembly further including a tactile plane with a series of apertures, the braille pins being registered with the series of apertures so that the braille pins can be selectively actuated to extend above the tactile plane and thereby generate an individual braille character, the tactile plane being positioned within the upper plane of the main housing;
a series of backplanes, each backplane including a first surface supporting a series of electrical connectors and a second surface supporting an electrical circuit, a subset of the series of cell compartments being connected to an associated backplane via the electrical connectors, with the subset of cell compartments receiving instructions via the electrical circuit of the associated backplane.

8. The modular braille display device as described in claim 7 further comprising a series of flex cables interconnecting the series of backplanes.

9. The modular braille display device as described in claim 7 wherein the main housing includes opposing sides and an impact resistant end cap is positioned over each of the opposing sides.

10. The modular braille display device as described in claim 7 further comprising a series of braille keys formed adjacent to the closed rearward extent and positioned within the upper plane.

11. The modular braille display device as described in claim 7 wherein each of the pins is driven via a bimorph reed.

12. The modular braille display device as descried in claim 8 wherein a CPU provides instructions in a daisy chain format to each of the backplanes.

Assignees

• Freedom Scientific Inc

Inventors

• Murphy Patrick
• Conard Todd
• Davis Bradley S
• Van Egmond Maarten

Classifications

• G09B21/004 Primary

  Details of particular tactile cells, e.g. electro-mechanical or mechanical layout · CPC title

• G09B21/02

  Devices for Braille writing (typewriters for Braille B41J3/32) · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title