Electromechanical transducer for relief display panel

Claim 2

In an electromechanical transducer device comprising: a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reed on the application of a DC voltage; support means for each end of said reed; coupling means supported on said reed; a rod arranged transversely to said piezoelectric reed and coupled to said coupling means; and means for applying a DC voltage to said reed whereby on the application of said voltage the bending of the reed causes displacement of said rod in the direction of its own longitudinal axis from a first static position to a second static position, the improvement wherein said coupling means for coupling the rod with the piezoelectric reed comprises a generally rectangular tablet of insulating material, said tablet having a plurality of holes traversing the tablet perpendicular to its largest surface, one of said holes being tapped to engage a corresponding thread formed on said rod, the rest of said holes being freely traversible by other rods, and a slot communicating the tapped hole with one of the smaller surfaces of the tablet so as to provide a gripping effect by the periphery of the tapped hole on the threaded rod.

Claim 3

Device according to claim 1 wherein the width of said slot is less than a quarter of the diameter of said tapped hole.

Claim 4

Apparatus for transferring and recording written or printed information characters to or from a relief read-out panel and a magnetic tape comprising means monitoring the information characters and generating a signal output, means sending signals generated from said characters adapted for recording on the magnetic tape to a relief display device, a support housing including a tactually scanable plate having a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in an array; a plurality of electromechanical transducer devices having a longitudinal axis housed in said housing, each electromechanical transducer device comprising a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis on an application of a d.c. voltage, coupling means supported on said reed including a slot extending from an aperture to an edge thereof, and a rod arranged transversely to said piezoelectric reed and coupled to said coupling means, said rod having an end traversing slidably a respective corresponding one of said holes between a first static position in which said rod end projects a tactually detectable distance from its hole and a second static position in which said rod end does not project from its hole by the application of said d.c. voltage to said piezoelectric reed.

Claim 5

Apparatus for transferring and recording written or printed information characters to or from a relief read-out panel and a magnetic tape comprising means monitoring the information characters and generating a signal output, means sending signals generated from said characters adapted for recording on the magnetic tape to a relief display device, a support housing including a tactually scanable plate having a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in an array; a plurality of electromechanical transducer devices having a longitudinal axis housed in said housing, each electromechanical transducer device comprising a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis on an application of a d.c. voltage, coupling means supported on said reed including a slot extending from an aperture to an edge thereof, and a rod arranged transversely to said piezoelectric reed and coupled to said coupling means, said rod having an end traversing slidably a respective corresponding one of said holes between a first static position in which said rod end projects a tactually detectable distance from its hole and a second static position in which said rod end does not project from its hole by the application of said d.c. voltage to said piezoelectric reed.

Claim 6

Apparatus for transferring and recording written or printed characters onto magnetic tape according to claim 3, comprising (1) means feeding said tape through a magnetic tape read-out head to generate signals, (2) means sending said signals to a decoding interface, (3) means sending said decoded signals to a memory until there is a predetermined accumulation of characters, and (4) means sending said accumulated characters to said relief display device.

Claim 7

Method of readout of magnetic tape bearing data in Braille-generable form comprising: (1) feeding said tape through a magnetic tape read-out to generate signals, (2) sending said signals to a decoding surface, (3) sending said signals to a memory until there is a predetermined accumulation of characters, and (4) sending said accumulated characters to said relief display device comprising: a support housing including a tactually scanable plate having a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in an array; a plurality of electromechanical transducer devices housed in said housing, each electromechanical transducer device comprising a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis on the application of a d.c. voltage, support means for at least one end of said reed, coupling means supported on said reed, and a rod arranged transversely to said piezoelectric reed and coupled to said coupling means, said rod having an end traversing slidably a respective corresponding one of said holes between a first static position in which said rod end projects a tactually detectable distance from its hole and a second static position in which said rod end does not project from its hole by the application of a d.c. voltage to said reed.

Claim 8

Method of readout of magnetic tape bearing data in Braille-generable form comprising: (1) feeding said tape through a magnetic tape read-out to generate signals, (2) sending said signals to a decoding surface, (3) sending said signals to a memory until there is a predetermined accumulation of characters, and (4) sending said accumulated characters to said relief display device comprising: a support housing including a tactually scanable plate having a plurality of holes therethrough arranged in an array; a plurality of electromechanical transducer devices housed in said housing, each electromechanical transducer device comprising a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to its longitudinal axis on the application of a d.c. voltage, support means for at least one end of said reed, coupling means supported on said reed, and a rod arranged transversely to said piezoelectric reed and coupled to said coupling means, said rod having an end traversing slidably a respective corresponding one of said holes between a first static position in which said rod end projects a tactually detectable distance from its hole and a second static position in which said rod end does not project from its hole by the application of a d.c. voltage to said reed.

Claim 9

A relief display device comprising an electromechanical transducer device according to claim 1.

Claim 10

A portable electronic computer comprising a relief display device according to claim 6.

Claim 11

An apparatus control panel comprising a Braille keyboard and a display device according to claim 6.

Claim 12

In an information processing device, an electromechanical transducer according to claim 1.

Claim 13

A portable minicassette magnetic tape player/recorder comprising in combination: a Braille key board; a tape transport unit; a control circuit and a relief display device according to claim 6.

Claim 16

A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said slotting step is carried out by a molding operation.

Claim 17

A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said slotting step is carried out by a cutting operation.

Claim 18

A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said step of forming a threaded portion on said rod is carried out by a knurling operation.

Claim 19

Apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including means monitoring the recording by generating a display in Braille characters from the data being recorded.

Claim 20

Apparatus of recording in accordance with claim 15 including means packaging the magnetic recording.

Claim 21

An electromechanical transducer device for a relief display panel comprising, in combination, a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reed upon the application of a DC voltage, said reed being disposed substantially perpendicular to said panel, support means for at least one end of said reed, coupling means supported on said reed including a slot extending from an aperture to an edge thereof, a rod coupled to said piezoelectric reed through said coupling means and extending substantially parallel to said reed and means for applying a DC voltage to said reed whereby upon the application of said voltage, the bending of said reed causes static displacement of said rod in the direction of its own longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said reed.

Claim 22

An electromechanical transducer device for a relief display panel comprising, in combination, a bimorphous piezoelectric reed bendable around an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the reed upon the application of a DC voltage, said reed being disposed substantially perpendicular to said panel, support means for at least one end of said reed, coupling means supported on said reed including a slot extending from an aperture to an edge thereof, a rod coupled to said piezoelectric reed through said coupling means and extending substantially parallel to said reed and means for applying a DC voltage to said reed whereby upon the application of said voltage, the bending of said reed causes static displacement of said rod in the direction of its own longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said reed.