TACTILE COMPUTER READER FOR KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION

THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON IS ESPECIALLY DISADVANTAGED WHEN PURSUING A HIGH-LEVEL SKILL, AND IS REQUIRED TO LEARN FROM AN EVER-CHANGING, EXPANDING, DYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN CULTURE. THE BLIND SCIENTIST CANNOT SCAN LARGE AMOUNTS OF CURRENT PUBLISHED ARTICLES. A SIGHTED PERSON MUST READ AND DESCRIBE THE INFORMATION TO HIM/HER. RESEARCHERS ARE INVESTIGATING A COMBINATION OF PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS AND SURFACE MOUNT ELECTRONICS THAT CAN PRODUCE A RELAIBLE LARGE TACTILE COMPUTER CONTROLLED ARRAY. THE TACTILE PIN DENSITY MUST MEET THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CONGRESS SPECIFICATION FOR BRAILLE. AN ARRAY SIZE OF 25 LINES X 40 CHARACTERS/LINE, 6 PINS/CHARACTER, CAN PROVIDE A PRACTICAL BRAILLE BOOK READOUT DEVICE. A SINGLE, COMMON, PRIME MOVER PROVIDES THE UP MOTIOJN FOR ALL PINS. PIEZOELECTRIC LATCHES, EACH CONTROLLED BY THE COMPUTER, SELECTS WHICH PINS WILL BE PUSHED UP. DESIGN IS BASED ON A SURFACE MOUNT MODULE COMBINING PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATORS, DRIVE ELECTRONICS, AND SOME MEMORY. ALL MODULES CONNECT TO A COMMON 9 WIRE BUS. THE COMPLETED DEVICE WOULD OCCUPY A MECHANICAL ENVELOPE OF 10 X 13 X 5 INCHES.