TOUCH SENSE INPUT/OUTPUT DEVICE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive touch sense input/output device allowing a visually disabled person to operate it while recognizing projection state with the touch sense. SOLUTION: Plural key units provided with key tops on the top and clutch gears 29 on the bottom are arranged in a matrix form in a frame, and pulse motors 34 and racks 32 are arranged for each row to rotatively drive the clutch gears 29 by transmitting them the driving force, and thereby the key unit is enabled to vary the heights of the projections by the operation of the cams formed in the frame. Under the clutch gears 29, push switches are arranged for detecting push-down operation on the key tops. By coupling to each key unit the clutch plates 28 for permitting to control coupling and decoupling of the clutch gears 29 and the racks 32 included in a same column and changing over the driving forces for each column by solenoid 37, the projection state of the key top of an arbitrary key unit can be controlled by controlling the pulse motors 34 and the solenoids 37.