Ernesto E. Blanco, P.E.
Consulting Engineer
Portfolio of Selected Works - Aids for the Handicaped
Refreshable Micro-Solenoid Operated Braille Cell Display System
The top of the cell flush with the top of the reading surface at the center of the control box. A power unit is seen at left. The keys control the display, and the large key below clears it.
The Braille solenoid: the left end cap is made of black delrin. That is the reading end. The Stimulators in white delrin resemble the Braille dots of embossed Braille. When these cells are put together they occupy the same space as conventional Braille. The unit shown contained 140 parts enclosed into the Brass cartridge. This is not the final product, but just a fine working prototype. The final system will consist of a whole page in which the cell elements will be encased and a single clearing key will erase the whole page.
Client
National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C. (contract # PFR-7917739)
Problem
To design an electrically operated Braille display cell that could fit into standard Braille spacings and be erasable after each display. The ultimate goal being the production of refreshable Braille pages composed of such display cells under microprocessor controls.
Solution
The development of an extremely compact Braille display cell under micros-solenoid control. A locking system through "jamming" was devised to maintain the stimulator pins in the raised position without drawing power, and an additional solenoid released all the pins to erase the display. The development of the solenoids required extreme magnetic flux densities in minimal space, and the total number of elements amounted to 140 parts per unit in the space of a little finger. The cell was designed to be plugged into a standard printed circuit socket. The contract was for an investigation but a finished system resulted.
This page is maintained by Elizabeth K. Lai
Last Modified on December 12, 1995
