Technologies Humanware Inc.

Essilor International

Georges Bourque

Éric Lapointe

Luc Blanchette

Dominic R Labbé

Pierre Hamel

Carle Auclair

Sébastien McKenzie-Faucher

David Gagné

Guy Santerre

Kevin Bailey

Matthew Bailey

James Henderson

Stéphane Béliveau

Martin Julien

Gregory Stilson

Bennet Heidenreich

Peter Cottreau

Steve Harrington

Jaime Yu

Patrick De Grasse

Louis-Philippe Massé

Steve Jolin

A braille cell and associated braille pin support and pin actuation assemblies are disclosed. The braille cell can include a frame, braille pins movable up and down between raised and lowered positions, and a pin actuation assembly to individually move the pins. The braille cell can include support arms, each of which having a base end connected to the frame and a pin end connected to and following a motion of a respective pin between its raised and lowered positions. The pin actuation assembly can include pin actuation units, each having a motor with a rotatable motor shaft and multiple cams mounted on the shaft, each for selectively actuating a respective pin. Each pin actuation unit can also include an angular position sensing system for monitoring, for example magnetically, a passage of the shaft through a reference angular position, and deriving information about a current angular position of the shaft.

Braille cell and associated pin support and pin actuation assemblies

A single-unit portable Braille device is provided that can include a housing and a touch-sensitive surface provided on the housing and configured to implement a virtual Braille keyboard including a plurality of virtual keys each associated with a key location on the touch-sensitive surface. The virtual Braille keyboard is configured for entry of input Braille data from a user contacting the touch-sensitive surface at one or more of the key locations. The portable Braille device also includes a refreshable Braille display provided on the housing and configured for outputting output Braille data for tactile reading by the user, and a processing unit in the housing and configured to receive the input Braille data from the touch-sensitive surface and to transmit the output Braille data to the refreshable Braille display. In some implementations, the portable Braille device includes a visual display located under the touch-sensitive surface.

Portable device with virtual tactile keyboard and refreshable Braille display

Tactile braille tablet

A handheld electronic magnifier for providing a magnified representation of an object is provided. The magnifier includes a casing having a camera face and an opposed display face, a camera inside the casing for acquiring an image of the object, and a display extending along the display face for displaying the magnified representation of the object based on the image acquired by the camera. The handheld electronic magnifier also includes a handle and a two-axis hinge assembly rotatably connecting the casing and the handle about orthogonal first and second hinge axes extending respectively along a length of the casing and a width of the handle. The two-axis hinge assembly includes a longitudinal and a transverse hinge member rigidly fixed to each other and extending along the first and second hinge axes, respectively. The longitudinal and transverse hinge members are rotatably connected to the casing and the handle, respectively.

Handheld electronic magnifier having a multi-orientation handle

Handheld electronic magnifier for low vision users

Electronic magnifier for low vision users

A docking assembly for docking a handheld device thereto is provided. The docking assembly includes a cradle for receiving the handheld device, and a handle adjacent to the cradle and reciprocally movable inwardly and outwardly relative to the cradle between an open and a position. The handle has a handle interface facing a corresponding device interface of the handheld device when the handheld device is placed in the cradle. The handle interface has a pair of alignment projections and a handle data connector connectable to a device data connector of the handheld device, the alignment projections being engageable with complimentary alignment cavities of the handheld device. The docking assembly further includes a displacement mechanism configured such that, as the handle moves toward the closed position, the alignment projections progressively engage the alignment cavities and guide the handle and device data connectors toward each other for connection therebetween.

Docking assembly with a reciprocally movable handle for docking a handheld device

Growing community of inventors

Montréal, Canada

Georges Bourque