Back to results
US 6,487,454 B1Granted
Programmable-shape array
OwnerAdrian Tymesinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An array of devices connected to each other, in a grid or other fashion, which are able to adjust their position and/or orientation relative to one another, in order to alter the overall structure that the devices form. Also, a controller that can determine this structure from data provided by the devices, and tell each device what relative position and orientation it should be in so that the overall structure changes to some other desired shape.
Claims20
A programmable shape array, including
- a plurality of dynamically linkable and delinkable devices, said plurality of devices intercoupled in some combination of serial and parallel to form an array having at least two dimensions, wherein each device in said plurality of devices includes a panel with at least one contiguous edge and at least one planar surface;
- a computer controller coupled to said array of devices, said controller being capable of configuring said array such that each of said devices may be individually repositioned at any angle relative to any other device;
- said services forming any of a plurality of hand tools,
- a data bus disposed for communication between said array of devices and said computer controller.
1 more element
A method of operating a programmable shape array including
- defining a shape for said array, said array having a plurality of intercoupled devices in some combination of serial and parallel having at least two dimensions of variation;
- and
- configuring said array, said configuring including linking and delinking said devices to conform statically to said shape, said shape forming any of a plurality of hand tools.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.