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US 11,686,024 B2Granted
System and method for thermally adaptive materials
AssigneeOther Lab, LLC
InventorsBrent Ridley, Saul Griffith, Shara Maikranz, Jean Chang, Pete Lynn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An adaptive textile that includes a plurality of a first fiber having a first expansion coefficient and a plurality of a second fiber having a second expansion coefficient. There is a difference between the expansion coefficient of the first fiber and the expansion coefficient of the second fiber; at least one of the first or second fibers is a twisted coil actuator; and linear displacement of the twisted coil actuator causes the adaptive textile to bend.
Claims20
A thermally adaptive woven or knit fabric that comprises:
- a plurality of first fibers having a first coefficient of thermal expansion,
- a plurality of second fibers having a second coefficient of thermal expansion,
- wherein there is a difference between the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the first fibers and the second coefficient of thermal expansion of the second fibers;
- wherein one or both of the plurality of first fibers and plurality of second fibers are twisted coil actuators;
- and
- an alternating fabric structure with a first and second opposing side of a plane that comprises:
- a set of the plurality of first fibers woven in parallel and alternating between extending along external faces of the first and second opposing sides;
- a set of the plurality of second fibers woven in parallel to each other and in parallel to the set of the plurality of first fibers, the set of the plurality of second fibers woven alternating between extending along the external faces of the first and second opposing sides and opposing the set of the plurality of first fibers;
- upper and lower cross fibers respectively on the first and second opposing sides, the upper and lower cross fibers holding the shape of the alternating fabric structure and confining the first and second fibers;
- a plurality of alternating adjoining first and second portions extending contiguously along the plane of the alternating fabric structure;
- the first portions defined by a pair of opposing first and second materials with the first material on the first side and the second material on the second side, the first material comprising a length of the set of the plurality of first fibers and a length of the second material comprising a set of the plurality of second fibers;
- the second portions defined by a pair of opposing first and second materials with the second material on the first side and the first material on the second side;
- the plurality of first materials defining a respective first length at a first temperature;
- the plurality of second materials defining a respective second length at the first temperature;
- wherein at a second temperature, thermal expansion or contraction of the first material along the direction of the first length differs from an amount of thermal expansion or contraction of the second material along the direction of the second length, causing the first and second portions to bend;
- and
- wherein the bending of the first and second portions of the fabric change the effective thickness of the thermally adaptive woven or knit fabric.
14 more elements
A thermally adaptive woven or knit fabric that comprises:
- a plurality of first fibers having a first coefficient of thermal expansion,
- a plurality of second fibers having a second coefficient of thermal expansion,
- wherein there is a difference between the first coefficient of thermal expansion of the first fibers and the second coefficient of thermal expansion of the second fibers;
- wherein one or both of the plurality of first fibers and plurality of second fibers are twisted coil actuators;
- and
- an alternating fabric structure with a first and second opposing side of a plane that comprises:
- the first portions defined by a pair of opposing first and second materials with the first material on the first side and the second material on the second side, the first material comprising a set of the plurality of first fibers and the second material comprising a set of the plurality of second fibers;
- the second portions defined by a pair of opposing first and second materials with the second material on the first side and the first material on the second side;
- the plurality of first materials defining a respective first length at a first temperature;
- the plurality of second materials defining a respective second length at the first temperature;
- wherein at a second temperature, thermal expansion or contraction of the first material along the direction of the first length differs from an amount of thermal expansion or contraction of the second material along the direction of the second length, causing the first and second portions to bend;
- and
- wherein the bending of the first and second portions of the fabric change the effective thickness of the thermally adaptive woven or knit fabric.
10 more elements
An adaptive textile that comprises:
- a plurality of a first fiber having a first expansion coefficient,
- a plurality of a second fiber having a second expansion coefficient,
- wherein there is a difference between the first expansion coefficient of the first fiber and the second expansion coefficient of the second fiber;
- wherein at least one of the first or second fibers is a twisted coil actuator;
- and
- wherein linear displacement of the twisted coil actuator causes the adaptive textile to bend;
- and
- a plurality of first and second portions along a plane of the adaptive textile,
- wherein the first portions are defined by a first pair of opposing first and second materials with the first material on a first side and the second material on a second side;
- wherein the second portions defined by a second pair of opposing first and second materials with the second material on the first side and the first material on the second side;
- wherein the plurality of first materials define a respective first length at a first temperature;
- wherein the plurality of second materials define a respective second length at the first temperature;
- and
- wherein at a second temperature, thermal expansion or contraction of the first material along the direction of the first length differs from an amount of thermal expansion or contraction of the second material along the direction of the second length, causing the first and second portions to bend.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.