Modular kinematic construction kit

• US 9,320,980 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2012
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Modular Robotics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Modular Robotics Incorporated
• Inventors: Schweikardt, Eric, Hiller, Jonathan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stanczak, Matthew B
• Application Number:
  US13/664,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20130109267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 446 90- 92, 446/102, 446/122, 446/125, 446/484
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/04 Building blocks, strips, or similar building parts
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/042 Mechanical, electrical, optical, pneumatic or hydraulic arrangements; Motors
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/046 comprising magnetic interaction means, e.g. holding together by magnetic attraction

Abstract

A construction kit comprises a plurality of building modules, wherein at least one of the building modules is functional and adapted to perform a specific behavior. In some embodiments, each of the building modules includes at least one connection face adapted to pass either data or power from a first face of a first building module to a first face of a second building module. In certain other embodiments, each connection face of the building modules is electrically connected with each of the other faces. The kit includes at least one connector adapted to couple the at least one functional module to at least one other module while providing up to three degrees of freedom between the functional module and the at least one other module.

Claims

1. An educational or toy construction kit comprising:

a plurality of building modules, wherein at least one of the building modules is a functional module and adapted to perform a specific behavior, the at least one functional module comprising a plurality of corners, each of the plurality of corners having a corner electrical contact providing an electrical return path, and at least one functional face, the at least one functional face having an electrical contact providing an electrical source path, and the at least one functional module providing at least one of power output, power input, data output, data input, data pass-through, and power pass-through;

a plurality of spherical connectors, each of the plurality of spherical connectors adapted to couple one of the plurality of corners of the at least one functional module to a corner of at least one other module while providing up to three degrees of freedom between the at least one functional module and the at least one other module, each of the plurality of spherical connectors providing an electrical return path and not an electrical source path;

wherein

interconnection of the at least one functional module and the at least one other module forms a construction; and

the at least one functional module comprises no corner electrical contacts that provide an electrical source path.

2. The construction kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one other module is a passive module adapted to engage with the at least one functional module.

3. The construction kit of claim 1, wherein the functional module includes an embedded device that processes instructions to instruct the functional module to perform the specific behavior.

4. The construction kit of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of corners of the at least one of the plurality of building modules includes a recessed magnetic contact proximate to each of its corners.

5. The construction kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one other module is a second functional module adapted to engage with a face and any corner associated with the face of the at least one functional module.

6. The construction kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one functional building module further comprises reprogrammable software to enable end-users to reprogram the specific behavior of the functional building module.

7. A functional building module for use in a children'"'"'s construction kit, the functional building module comprising:

an enclosure, the enclosure defining a plurality of corners and at least one functional face, the at least one functional face having an electrical contact providing an electrical source path, and the functional building module providing at least one of power output, power input, data output, data input, data pass-through, and power pass-through;

at least one electronic component mounted within the enclosure;

a plurality of recessed magnetic conductive contact surfaces located proximate to respective ones of the plurality of enclosure corners, each of the contact surfaces providing an electrical return path and not an electrical source path;

a plurality of spherical conductive connectors adapted to engage in respective ones of the plurality of recessed contact surfaces and adapted to provide up to three degrees of freedom between the functional building module and a second building component; and

a grounding mesh coupled to each of the recessed contact surfaces and each of the plurality of spherical conductive connectors, whereby the functional building module is grounded to enable electrical coupling to the second building component such that the functional building module is agnostic as to orientation of the functional building module relative to the second building component.

8. The building module of claim 7, wherein the enclosure is substantially in the shape of a cube or a rectangular prism.

9. The functional building module of claim 8, wherein the functional building module is adapted to perform a specific function.

10. The functional building module of claim 9, wherein the function is selected from the group consisting of power, movement, and sensing.

11. The functional building module of claim 7, wherein the electrical component is a conductive wire.

12. The functional building module of claim 7, wherein the electrical component is a microprocessor.

13. The functional building module of claim 7, wherein the electrical component is a motor.

14. A toy construction kit comprising:

a plurality of building modules, wherein at least one of the building modules is functional and adapted to perform a specific behavior, each of the building modules including at least one connection face having an electrical contact providing an electrical source path and adapted to pass either data or power from a first face of a first building module to a first face of a second building module;

wherein each connection face of the building modules is electrically connected with each of the other faces;

a plurality of corner connectors, each of the plurality of corner connectors adapted to couple a respective corner of the at least one functional module to any one of a plurality of corners of at least one other module while providing up to three degrees of freedom between the functional module and the at least one other module, each of the plurality of corner connectors providing an electrical return path and not an electrical source path;

wherein

interconnection of the at least one functional module, the plurality of corner connectors, and the at least one other module forms the toy construction kit, wherein the construction kit has a ground mesh throughout regardless of which of the plurality of corners of the at least one other module are coupled to the at least one functional module.

15. The construction kit of claim 14, wherein the at least one building modules is a battery block.

16. The construction kit of claim 14, wherein the at least one building modules is a think block to receive, process, and distribute instructions to one or more other modules.

17. The construction kit of claim 14, wherein the at least one building modules is a rotational block.

18. The construction kit of claim 14, wherein the at least one building modules is a programmable block.