Braille Display with Electroactive Polymer Actuators

描述(由申请人提供)：该EBRG项目的目标是开发用于可刷新的整页盲文显示和图形显示的新型致动器技术。尽管多年来致力于降低可刷新盲文显示器的成本并开发可用于生产实用的全页盲文显示器和石墨盲文显示器的新技术，但压电盲文显示器仍然是可刷新盲文显示器的主要形式。压电式致动器的体积大、成本高和易损性使得将其用于可刷新的整页盲文显示是不切实际的。 近年来，我们开发了几种新型的电活性聚合物，其产生的应变和弹性能量密度比用于商业可刷新盲文显示器的压电陶瓷高两个数量级和一个数量级。在这个EBRG项目中，我们将利用这类聚合物开发低成本、坚固、紧凑的致动器(在保持相同致动能力的情况下缩小尺寸数量级)来取代压电陶瓷双晶片，这将使全页盲文显示和图形显示成为可能和实用。 该EBRG项目将结合宾夕法尼亚州立大学在电活性聚合物和致动器开发方面的专业知识与View Plus在盲文显示器上的专业知识。这种结合的专业知识为开发这些紧凑型致动器提供了独特的机会，可以直接过渡到实用的可刷新的石墨盲文显示器和整页盲文显示器。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this EBRG program is to develop novel actuator technology for refreshable full-page Braille display and graphic display. Despite many years of R&D efforts to reduce the cost of the refreshable Braille display and to develop new technologies which can be used to produce practical full page Braille play and graphite Braille display, the Piezo Braille displays are still the dominating form for the refreshable Braille display. The bulky size, high cost, and fragility of the piezo-actuators make it impractical to use them for refreshable full-page Braille displays. In recent years, we have developed several novel electroactive polymers which generate strain two order of magnitude and elastic energy density one order of magnitude higher than these in the piezoceramics used in the commercial refreshable Braille displays. In this EBRG program, we will make use of this class of polymers to develop low cost, robust, compact actuators (order of magnitude reduction in size while maintaining same actuation capability) to replace the piezoceramic bimorphes, which will make the full-page Braille display and graphic display possible and practical. This EBRG program will combine the expertise at Penn State in the electroactive polymers and in actuator development with the expertise at View Plus on the Braille display. This combined expertise provides unique opportunity to develop these compact actuators to be directly transitioned to practical refreshable graphite Braille display and full page Braille display.