Active material based lockout mechanisms
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A control mechanism, comprising:
- a first electrical contact;
a second electrical contact;
a control member, wherein actuation of the control member causes the first and second electrical contacts to contact one another;
a blocking element comprising an active material sufficiently mounted with respect to the control member to selectively resist actuation of the control member, wherein the active material is adapted to change at least one attribute in response to an activation signal;
an activation device in operative communication with the active material adapted to provide the activation signal, wherein the change in the at least one attribute changes a modulus property of the blocking element and changes a force level for actuating the control member; and
a controller in operative communication with the activation device and configured to selectively cause the activation device to transmit the activation signal to the active material.
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Abstract
Control mechanisms and methods of use include the use of active materials as a blocking element. The control mechanisms generally include a tactile control in operative communication with an electrical circuit, wherein actuation of the tactile control closes the electrical circuit to activate a function. The blocking element includes an active material that is intermediate to the electrical circuit and the tactile control. The active material is adapted to change at least one attribute such as a modulus property in response to an activation signal. The change in the at least one attribute selectively changes a force level for actuating the tactile control.
48 Citations
21 Claims
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1. A control mechanism, comprising:
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a first electrical contact; a second electrical contact; a control member, wherein actuation of the control member causes the first and second electrical contacts to contact one another; a blocking element comprising an active material sufficiently mounted with respect to the control member to selectively resist actuation of the control member, wherein the active material is adapted to change at least one attribute in response to an activation signal; an activation device in operative communication with the active material adapted to provide the activation signal, wherein the change in the at least one attribute changes a modulus property of the blocking element and changes a force level for actuating the control member; and a controller in operative communication with the activation device and configured to selectively cause the activation device to transmit the activation signal to the active material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A process for selectively adjusting a force level for a control member in operative communication with an electrical circuit, wherein actuation of the control member closes the electrical circuit to activate a function, the process comprising:
selectively changing a modulus property of a blocking element by applying an activation signal, wherein the blocking element comprises an active material operatively connected to the control member to selectively resist the actuation of the control member, wherein the active material is adapted to change the modulus property in response to the activation signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
Specification