Apparatus that Changes Physical State and a Method
AssigneeNokia Corporation
InventorsMarkku Antti Kyosti ROUVALA, Johan Kildal
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Abstract
An apparatus including polymer configured to have a first state or a second state, wherein the volume of the polymer in the first state is different to a volume of the polymer in the second state; an actuator configured to be controlled by an input signal to cause the polymer to change between the first state and the second state; and a constraint configured to constrain the polymer in at least a first direction when the polymer changes between the first state and the second state.
Claims27
An apparatus comprising:
- polymer configured to have a first state or a second state, wherein the volume of the polymer in the first state is different to a volume of the polymer in the second state;
- an actuator configured to be controlled by an input signal to cause the polymer to change between the first state and the second state;
- and
- a constraint configured to constrain the polymer in at least a first direction when the polymer changes between the first state and the second state.
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A method comprising:
- causing an actuator to change a polymer between a first state and a second state, wherein the volume of the polymer in the first state is different to the volume of the polymer in the second state;
- and
- constraining the polymer in at least a first direction when the polymer changes between the first state and the second state.
An apparatus comprising a pre-stressed polymer configured to have a first state and a second state, wherein the volume of the polymer in the first state is different to the volume of the polymer in the second state;
- and
- an actuator configured to be controlled by an input signal to cause the polymer to change between the first state and the second state;
- wherein pre-stressing of the polymer causes the polymer to change volume asymmetrically and preferably in at least a particular direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.