Line printer for the raised-dot language of braille characters

Claim 1

A line printer for printing raised-dot language comprising: (1) a base member having in an upper structure thereof a row of a plurality of printing pins, and means for biasing said pins so that heads of said pins protrude above a surface of said base member, and having in a lower structure thereof a plurality of latch pins and a plurality of solenoids energizable to protrude said latch pins into positions in which they prevent the printing pins from being depressed; (2) a printing plate member for pressing a paper form against the heads of said plurality of printing pins arranged on said base member sequentially from one end to the other end thereof in the direction of arrangement of said printing pins so as to produce embossed dots on the paper form, and (3) a driving mechanism disposed to be operated from a driving source such that said printing plate member is moved like a cradle in the direction of arrangement of said printing pins, said driving mechanism comprises: a pair of side wall plates attached to the sides of said base member and each having a vertical slit for guiding the sides of said printing plate member; a pair of rotating disks fixedly mounted on a rotary shaft extended through said side plates, each of said rotating disks being provided in the inner surface thereof with an eccentric cam groove in such a manner that one of said eccentric cam grooves has a predetermined rotational angular difference with respect to the other; and means for transmitting a rotary motion from said driving source to one of said pair of rotating disks.