# US 2021/0280100 A1 · Tangible cellular structure, associated method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0280100 A1 - Document ID: US20210280100A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/254,655 - Filed: 2019-06-21 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-22 - Assignees: Studio B26; Mikael Bitton - Applicants: Studio B26 - Inventors: Mikael BITTON - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210280100A1 ## CPC - G09F 9/37: being movable elements (G09F9/302 takes precedence) - G09F 9/372: {the positions of the elements being controlled by the application of an electric field} - G09F 19/02: incorporating moving display members - B29C 33/301: {Modular mould systems [MMS], i.e. moulds built up by stacking mould elements, e.g. plates, blocks, rods (B29C33/0088 takes precedence)} - B29C 33/308: {Adjustable moulds (for injection moulding B29C45/376)} - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING ## Abstract A tangible structure includes a set of removable and parallel rods, each rod including a head; a set of drive devices, each drive device including a motor element generating a rotational motion to a transverse shaft to transmit a translational motion to a rod, the drive device being piloted in order to transmit a motion to the rod at a given speed and in a given direction; a holding system for the drive devices making the drive devices integral with each other, and a calculator determining a set of pilot set points, each pilot set point being transmitted to a drive device on the basis of a first digital set point. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A tangible structure, comprising: a set of movable and parallel rods, each rod including a head; a set of drive devices, each drive device including a motor element generating a rotational movement to a transverse shaft to transmit a translational motion to a rod, said drive device being piloted in order to transmit a motion to the rod at a given speed and in a given direction; a holding system for the drive devices making said drive devices integral with each other; a calculator arranged to determine a set of pilot set points, each pilot set point being transmitted to a drive device on the basis of a first digital set point. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein each drive device comprises a pressure element driven by the motor element in turn driving a rod by friction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein each drive device comprises a bevel gear system including two gear wheels allowing transmission of the rotation of the drive shaft to a rotation of a transverse shaft, said rotation of the transverse shaft causing rotation of the roller, said roller being secured to the transverse shaft. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein the rods are made of a polymeric material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein each drive device is integrated into a frame of substantially parallelepipedal shape and including two guides each including an opening adapted to receive a rod in order to direct translational motions of a rod, said rod passing through said frame. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein the rods are provided at their ends with an elastic head formed by a material among which: {elastomer, polymer, resin}. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, comprising a deformable surface, the deformation of which is driven by the rods, each of the heads of which is in contact with said surface. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein: the holding system is a plate including a plurality of openings, each opening allowing a rod to pass therethrough, and wherein the tangible structure includes a second guide plate having a plurality of openings and parallel to the first plate and spaced apart by a predefined distance for sandwiching the drive devices, said second plate being arranged such that each rod passes through both plates. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of light sources, said light sources being controlled by a light set point, each of the light sources being arranged: at one end of a head of a rod, or; in a thickness of a deformable surface, the calculator coordinating generation of the pilot set point with generation of the light set point from a same first digital set point. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, further comprising a heating source and a means for activating heat to be applied to a material arranged in contact with the ends of the rods. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein the first digital set point is: at least one digital piece of data; pixel values of a digital image and/or a pixel distribution of said image; digital information including text and/or numbers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, comprising: positioning and holding a thermosetting material on a structure according to claim 10; activating the tangible structure by a rod pilot set point in order to form a three-dimensional shape deforming the thermosetting material held at the end of each rod; activating a source of heating of the thermosetting material beyond a predefined temperature threshold allowing the thermosetting material to polymerize, and cooling and removing the material. ### Claim 13 A method for generating a three-dimensional shape by activating a plurality of rods of a tangible structure, said rods being arranged in parallel to each other, said method comprising: receiving an image made by a communication interface or a memory of the structure; calculating a plurality of stroke indicators for a plurality of sets of pixels of the image, each stroke indicator being calculated for a given rod of the structure depending on the properties of each set of pixels; guiding the set of rods by means of each drive device, said drive devices each generating a motor set point from a pilot set point deduced from the stroke indicators, each pilot set point further generating an electrical set point each piloting a light source arranged at the end of each rod and activating a property of the light emitted by each of them. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The tangible structure according to claim 1, wherein the pressure element is a roller.